Vindicated
by K. Lynn Perks
Summary: "It makes you human, Draco..." She whispered, but he knew there wasn't much humanity left in him. In a time where war waged on two unlikely individuals find hope in each other. Rated T for mild language, sexual intentions, depression and brutality.
1. Prologue

**Note: This is a story I have taken from my other pen name and have decided to repost here as it flows more with the type of darker fiction I will now be writing. Please be sure to review, as this story is SUPER OLD although it remained unfinished. I am planning on finishing this and revamping it slightly as I have found a new creative muse that has sparked a darker deeper side of my writing.**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or world of Harry Potter. All credit is given to J.K. Rowling and her brilliant mind.

**The first part of this chapter is taken from chapter seven of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All other ideas and characterizations are my idea and reflect solely on my interpretation. Slightly AU.**

Plot: Harry, Ron and Hermione have fled the Burrow in search for the remaining Horcruxes. Ginny however has been forced to return to Hogwarts and suffer the consequences of the new Hogwarts rule. What happened to fiery Ginny Weasley while she was separated from her best friends? Along with the rest of Dumbledore's Army Ginny plans on helping Harry inside of Hogwarts the best she can. The Death Eaters think otherwise. Resistance will not be tolerated, but Ginny has refused to allow the Death Eaters and the Ministry take over the innocent. In times like this she is forced to befriend the one individual who she has despised her whole life in order to slip through the cracks of Hogwarts undetected. The only problem is how can she trust the man who has been the bane of her existence for the last five years? Can a man truly change his ways because of one unexplainable feeling, or will the underlying belly of the serpent continue to work for his own sinister self?

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**Vindicated**

_xX It doesn't matter what I want_

_It doesn't matter what I need_

_It doesn't matter if I cry_

_Don't matter if I bleed_

_You've been on a road_

_Don't know where it goes or where it leads Xx_

**Prologue**

_" I couldn't think what to get you," she said. In her head she had planned it this way multiple times. She knew exactly how he would react. He was Harry of course, and Harry was far to modest to actually think people wanted to get him birthday presents. His eyes continued to look everywhere but at her, and for a second she felt betrayed by his dismissal. Didn't he want to share one last moment with her? What if- No. She wouldn't allow herself to succumb to such thoughts._

_"You didn't have to get me anything."_

_She smiled when he finally glanced at her, and fumbled slightly with her hands in front of her. Normally she didn't mind being alone with Harry, but ever since their break up a few months ago things remained a bit awkward. Now standing there before him about to let go of her truest feelings she felt utterly exposed. How had she planned it again? Racking her brain for what seemed like an eternity, Ginny stepped towards him and closed the small distance that had emerged. This was going to be it. A tiny little chuckle escaped her after her next comment, and she once again took another step towards him. It was right then he said it. The opportunity she had been waiting for to finally express to him exactly how she felt._

_"There's the silver lining I've been looking for."_

_It was a fevered kiss. Perhaps more passionate then any other kiss she had exchanged with another. Sure she had kissed Dean a few times with lustful fury, but never had she wanted to emit the same thing she was trying to extend to Harry. Merlin she loved him. It was everything she did to try and show him that while she kissed him. As if on cue he had pressed his hand against the small of her back and pushed her closer against him. She took it as another opening and wrapped her own arms desperately around him while trying to destroy any space that was still available._

_And then it was ruined. Ron had kicked in the door with such a passion that Ginny practically stumbled backwards into the white dresser she had placed against her wall. Of course Ron looked more than embarrassed, and the heavy breathing coming from both Ginny and Harry only increased that embarrassment. It was ruined. Everything that she had planned was snatched up and discarded in a matter of seconds, and not wanting to show how much she was truly going to miss him she turned away. Hot tears seemed to finally break free from the place she kept hidden, and she heard him mutter a goodbye before closing the door._

Then everything went fuzzy and the whole thing replayed again. It went on like this for Merlin knows how long until she finally gave a jerk of her body, and tiny Ginny Weasley woke from the disjointed slumber. Her eyes were fuzzy as she batted her eyes open, and with a deep yawn Ginny glanced out the window to observe the surrounding scenery.

The Hogwarts Express moved with smooth elegance along the tracks, and Ginny adjusted herself on the plush seat. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping. Mostly because she had been plagued by thoughts of Harry over and over again. The last moment she had seen him was in the scuffle at the wedding. Now it seemed like her mind was spiting her by replaying that scene like a broken record in her dreams. She sighed and moved her focus away from the window and back to reality. The reality that Harry was out on the road trying his best to survive. A yawn escaped her parted lips and she pressed her mind to the moment she had stepped on the Hogwarts Express and away from the comfort of her family. All she could remember was Neville and Luna both being assigned to different compartments by a woman she had recognized from the previous years attack on Hogwarts. Alecto Callow. Why the blasted woman was on the Express Ginny had no idea, but she was deeply aware that her sixth year was not going to be the same comforting place she had attended for the last five. Carrow's instructions told her such. She had purposely separated every member of Dumbledore's Army with the hope of keeping resistance low. Ginny was now sharing a compartment with a two first years and Gregory Goyle.

Goyle had given her a hard time when she had first sat in the compartment, but now the daft Slytherin was sound asleep against the window on the other side of the compartment. If there was one thing Ginny despised more than being stuck with Slytherin's it was getting stuck with a minion of Malfoy's. It only reminded her of the pale faced ferret, and Ginny wanted nothing more than to lash out at Goyle for mere association with the pointy noised git. Hell it was Malfoy who had initially been responsible for Dumbledore's death. If he didn't mend that vanishing cabinet she wouldn't be stuck on her way to school with a bunch of Dark Art obsessed fools.

The first years chatted on casually in low tones to keep Goyle at bay, and noticing Ginny's open eyes eagerly smiled in her direction. Doing her best to remain cheery she smiled back. If only Harry was there to keep her company.

Harry. Her dear, sweet and noble Harry. After the incident at the wedding she had been interrogated thoroughly by Lucius Malfoy on Harry's whereabouts. She of course had absolutely no idea where he had gone off too, and with that had received a terrible blow from the eldest Malfoy. But she didn't know. She really truly didn't know, and it was killing her. For all the tears she actually cried nothing seemed to satisfy her twisting heart. Dumbledore dead, Moody Dead, George injured, and now Harry, her Harry, was on the run with Ron and Hermione. Her gut wretched slightly, and she silently cursed her mother for sending her back to Hogwarts. So what if the Ministry demanded all wizards and witches of age must attend? Ron was faking spattergroit so why couldn't she? Then again Harry had broken things off with her. Was it worth all of this pained worry when he had told her that they couldn't even be together anymore?

"Do you think it's true then?" A timid looking girl with long blonde hair asked the boy across from her. "Will they make us…will they make us wear chains and shuffle to class like prisoners. My Dad reckons they will now that certain Professors have joined staff."

Ginny turned her head and looked at the girl who was obviously wide eyed with worry. "Don't let your worries get the best of you. Everything is going to be perfectly fine."

"Think so Weasley?" Goyle had pushed himself up from the window and yawned. "Filthy blood traitors are in just as much trouble as Mudbloods. I'd be counting my prayers if I were you really. Hear they have a special cell for all Mudblood lovers and Halflings."

Ginny scowled, and placed her hand on the girls shoulder. "Don't listen to the big oaf. He wouldn't be on the train right now if his Mummy and Daddy didn't bribe the school. See they don't usually let oversized baboons study magic." The tiny girl exchanged a look of laughter with the younger boy, and Ginny smiled.

"You take that back you filthy little Bloodtraitor." He was standing now with his wand pointing directly at her face.

The first year girl whimpered, but Ginny remained calm. "Wow fancy wand tricks now too, Goyle? Being Ferretless has done wonders for you. What's next? Learning to tie your shoes by yourself?"

There was a quick bang and Ginny felt herself hit the window with a tremendous force. Her head snapped back against the glass, and both the first year girl and boy screamed at the top of their lungs. Ginny was sprawled out on the floor trying her best to stay conscious. It wouldn't do her any good to pass out now with Goyle still in the compartment. But before she had a chance to remove her own wand and defend herself the compartment door swung open and two figures stepped inside. The first figure was Alecto Carrow again, and her voice squeaked over and over as she demanded Goyle to leave the compartment before he did something stupid. The other figure just stood there motionless, and Ginny couldn't make out the face at all. Her sight was still blurred from the blow she had taken to the head.

She heard the two first years explain what had happened, and Carrow huffed in obvious frustration.

"You take care of her then. I need to see to Goyle and remind him about the limitations he needs to oblige by. He is not one of us yet."

Ginny groaned as the door of the compartment slammed shut, and the two first years shuffled to the other end of the compartment. The silent figure continued to stand over her without so much as offering one single word of concern. Her head spun like a sodding top, and she reached to her forehead with her right hand. A firm grip stopped her from touching her forehead and held her arm in midair still remaining completely silent. Ginny squinted against the light slipping through the window. The face was sunken in somewhat, but the features of the face still remained hard and pointed looking. His hair fell unkempt in his eyes unlike any other time she had encountered him. Instantly she jerked her arm, but he held it firmly in her grasp. Her head spun far too much to protest, and she closed her eyes to stop the spinning room.

She knew what he had done to Dumbledore. Harry had told every single detail the last evening they spent together before the break up. For the first time in a long while Ginny felt her heartbeat quicken beneath her chest. Would he kill her too? She was a Bloodtraitor after all, and he had detested her from their very first meeting. Suddenly she felt so incredibly weak.

_Imagine that, _she thought to herself. Ginny had always deemed herself the epitome of Gryffindor bravery, and here she was terrified of what Draco Malfoy could do to her in this condition. "Don't touch me…Death Eater…" She muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Letting out another groan she opened her mouth again to throw a biting remark when he silently dropped her arm from his grasp.

The tip of his wand rested gently against the side of her head, and Ginny imagined Harry on his quest to save the world from Voldemort. Was this how it was going to end then? On the Hogwarts Express alone with two first years and a Death Eater. What a bloody brilliant way to go.

Then as quick as it had happened, Malfoy muttered a healing charm and hoisted her up off the floor. For a second she thought he was going to do something else, but he placed her gently into the soft seat instead. Her eyesight grew clearer as the charm worked to mend the blow she had taken to the back of the head. Ginny wondered what her expression must have read as she sat there. It was such an odd occurrence that the headache she was finally getting rid of came storming back into place. Had Malfoy really just helped her? Her eyes darted quickly to the door but Malfoy was already turned on his heel heading out the compartment door before she could say anything to him. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. Yes, that was definitely it. Her eyes were playing a dirty rotten trick on her, and Malfoy was just a figment of her imagination.

Yet as the two concerned first years clambered over towards her Ginny recognized the smell of leather and polished wood. Something about it reminded her of only one person, and she felt her stomach wretch slightly in disgust.

Ginny let her head rest on the Gryffindor table as her fellow housemates ate during the 'Welcome Feast'. After everything that had happened on the train her appetite seemed obsolete. Neville had done his very best to try and get her to eat something, but she had continually waved her hand in front of him swearing that she was fine. Worried glances seemed to be exchanged between Seamus and Parvati, but Ginny disregarded them. Her head was still spinning, and what was worse was the funny feeling that she was being watched. Once she had moved her gaze across towards the Slytherin table, and she could have sworn she saw Malfoy glancing back at her. The same uneasy feeling in her stomach rose again, and she turned her forehead back down to press against the table.

"Welcome to another year." A voice drawled from the front of the room, and Ginny felt the hairs on her neck rise.

"No way." Neville whispered beside her, and Ginny finally lifted her head from the table and felt her eyes go wide.

"NO!" She screamed so loudly that half the Great Hall turned to look at her. There was only a split second before she was on her feet pointing her finger towards the front of the Hall. "How can you let this happen?" Her eyes darted towards McGonagall and she felt her arm tremble at the sight.

Severus Snape stood firmly in place at the golden podium with his eyes resting steadily back on her. There was a scuffle of chairs from the front of the room, and both Alecto Carrow and McGonagall stood.

"Miss Weasley I dare say that's enough." McGonagall gave her a stern look, the corner of her eyes flickering towards Alecto and her brother Amycus who was also standing now.

"You let a murderer come back as Headmaster? After everything he did? You let him run this school? Let go of me, Neville!" She pulled away from Neville's grasp, but he found her arm again quickly.

"I suggest," Snape paused " that you remove Miss Weasley from the Hall Mr. Longbottom before we take drastic detention measures."

"Come on Ginny." Neville was pulling her back towards the door.

"Let go of me!" She screamed again, and spat on the ground while throwing a disgusted look towards the front of the Hall. "You disgust me! You filthy murderous git!" A sharp gasp echoed like thunder through the Great Hall.

Snape's hand rose out in front of him. "Hold her there a moment Longbottom."

Ginny continued to squirm beneath Neville's grasp, the headache that she had been trying to rid herself coming back at full force. She hated being back at stupid school. Harry was gone, Snape was Headmaster, and actual Death Eaters were now present in the school. Ginny felt a scowl form upon her lips as Neville continued to hold her back. A few students from other houses were looking between Ginny and Snape with a frightened expression. With everything that had been going on within the Ministry the rumor was most students were terrified of stepping out of line. Apparently Ginny had been the first to do so, twice if they counted the train, and worried looks seemed to rise from the crowds.

"As everyone can clearly see Miss Weasley here has become a prime example of the much needed discipline needed here at Hogwarts. It is this reminder that I want to thoroughly emphasize to all of you. Resistance will not be tolerated." Snape's mouth twitched slightly. "As new Headmaster of Hogwarts I extend this fair warning." He glanced towards the Carrows, "All students who step out of line will be punished to demonstrate the severe new guidelines here at school. For all of those who need a prime example of what we mean…" Snape extended his hand towards Alecto Carrow and turned away towards the large seat reserved for Headmaster.

Alecto's eyes beamed brightly as she removed her wand from her pocket. _"Diffindo"_

The red beam shot from the end of Alecto's wand and hit Ginny square in the face.

At first she was unsure what happened, but McGonagall's outward gasp and a scream from Lavender Brown confirmed Ginny's sudden shock. With her left hand Ginny reached up to the throbbing sensation now apparent on her cheek and gasped herself as blood seeped from the wide gash that was present there. Neville fumbled for a handkerchief in his pocket and instantly pressed a red and gold cloth to her face. Ginny glared up at the front of hall. How could the other Professors allow this to happen right in front of their eyes? She bore holes into the back of Snape's head as he kept his back to her. "Face me then!" She screamed, her eyes watering at the now rising sting in her cheek. "You damn right coward!" Her red hair whipped madly across her face.

That was all that needed to be said before there was a roar of uprising from the students. McGonagall looked aghast and pointed towards the door out of the Hall. "Mr. Longbottom please!" Her voice begged Neville to remove Ginny from the hall, and with another final tug he bashed through the door and out into the corridor.

There was screaming going on inside the Great Hall, and Neville forced Ginny back towards the staircase. "You need to get to the common room now, Gin. If you don't go now they may-" But the door to the Great Hall slammed open, and both Alecto Carrow and Severus Snape stood in front of a bloodied Ginny. Neville's grip loosened, and he took a step to the side and placed himself in between Ginny and the two Professors. "I'll take her to the common room."

Alecto was already pushing Neville aside, her wand coming to rest inches from Ginny's nose. "For a measly little Bloodtraitor you certainly have a lot of spunk." Alecto's eyes bled nothing but cruelty and hate. "How would you like it if I blasted another gash across your face, Weasley? Or better yet…" Her voice twitched the most excited notion of glee, "how about we go and see your parents? Let them know what a foul little girl they have produced?" Her voice hissed, and Ginny bit back the urge to spit in her face.

"Enough Carrow. Go back and create some order in there." He nodded towards the Great Hall, and Alecto huffed with disappointment. She turned however and stormed back into the hall screaming for silence at the top of her lungs.

"Listen here, Weasley." The greasy tips of his hair hung down low over his nose, " Do not tempt me to place you in a confined cell because I will not have any problems doing so. Your precious Potter wont be here to save you this time." He stiffened as the door to the Great Hall opened and a few students began to filter out. "Times have changed, Weasley. I suggest you control that temper of yours and watch your step. I do not need any unplanned deaths occurring this school term." An echo of silence split between them, and Snape turned his shoulder on her and returned to the Great Hall as well.

Ginny lowered her eyes to the floor, her eyes doing their best to refrain from crying. She hated her mother for sending her back to school. She hated Ron and Hermione for leaving her alone. Most of all she hated Harry for leaving her to defend the honor of Dumbledore against the man who killed him.

"Gin?" Neville placed his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it away silently.

"Thanks Neville. I just-" She sucked in a bit of air. "I need to be alone right now." Wiping the streaming blood from her cheek, Ginny turned up the staircase and bolted off down the first corridor she managed to get to. All she wanted was the comfort of Harry's arms but he had long since gone from anywhere near Hogwarts. Her tears found the corners of her eyes, and she cursed at herself for being so utterly weak and pathetic. She needed to get a hold on herself. It didn't matter that they were separated now because in the end they'd find their way back together again. Wouldn't they?

Draco Malfoy sat alone at the end of the Slytherin table. For once he had grown tired of the constant blabbering coming from Pansy Parkinson's mouth, and the grunting of approval from Crabbe and Goyle. In fact their mere presence made him sick to his stomach. A portion of kidney pie found its way to his mouth, and he practically forced himself to shovel it down his throat. A few murmured stares shifted down towards his end of the table, but Draco ignored them. Most of the whispers pertained to his newly sunken appearance and the disheveled look his hair had given him. Draco remained unnerved. For once in his bloody life he wasn't concerned with what people whispered about him. His shoulders sat with heavy bricks upon them and he wanted nothing more then to finish the sodding feast and head to his dormitory to sleep.

For some unknown reason he felt himself glancing casually at the Gryffindor table where the redhead of Ginny Weasley sat motionless. After the blast she had taken on the Express he had half expected her to be in the hospital wing, but he should have known better. Weasley was too damn stubborn to let someone else get the best of her. She probably fought tooth and nail to go to the feast and avoid the hospital wing. Ina sick twisted way she was an awful lot of Slytherin rolled up into the body of a righteous Gryffindor.

His attention shifted up towards the other end of the table briefly and Pansy waved frantically to get his attention. Draco ignored her again and turned back to his kidney pie. He had just finished the last few bits when a piercing call sounded from across the Hall.

_"NO! How can you let this happen?"_

Draco furrowed his brow at the sudden outburst until he recognized the mess of deep fiery hair from the Gryffindor table. Weasley. Draco turned his gaze up towards the front of the Hall where Severus Snape was standing quietly. He had not expected anyone to create such a scene. Sure he knew that most people would probably be terrified with Snape as the new Headmaster and the Carrows stepping in as Professors. He should have retracted that thought when he stepped into that compartment with Weasley earlier. As always that blazing look in her eyes was present even when she was injured. He hated the sodding girl for it, and yet felt a cushion of minimal respect as she straightened herself up to Alecto Carrow.

The hushed whispers around him only intensified the scene, and intrigued Malfoy pushed his body up a bit to get a better view of the situation. The red burst of light shot across the room so fast that even Draco hadn't heard the curse that Carrow had thrown. He watched Ginny stumble back into Longbottom and a girls high pitched scream rang through the hall. Commotion overtook the surroundings and he watched as a pale and bloody Ginny Weasley was forced out of the Great Hall by the prat Longbottom.

"She's a feisty one." Zabini chimed up from his left. "Doesn't seem to understand that her family is number one on the tracked list. I mean they have harbored Undesirables and Muggles at their residence…if you could call it a residence." Zabini snorted back a laugh and stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.

Malfoy merely grunted in agreement and steadied himself to his feet. Alecto Carrow and Snape had followed Weasley and Longbottom out, and now a few students were beginning to return to their dorms. Apparently the nights little surprise festivities hadn't gone over well with the new first years. Most were crying and complaining about going back home. Malfoy pushed his food away and stalked by the rest of the Slytherin table without muttering a single word.

His eyes greeted the entrance hall with much fevered interest. Longbottom was standing at the end of the staircase looking up at it with a troubled expression. Malfoy snorted out a chuckle and stood at the side of him. A trickle of blood had formed on the first few steps and he immediately knew what Longbottom was staring up at. "Longing to take Potter's place then, eh Longbottom. Too bad your nothing but a sniveling worthless waste of space." Not bothering to wait for Longbottom's retort, which would have been pathetic anyway, Draco moved up the staircase and turned to the right down the first corridor.

Just as he had suspected another droplet of blood tipped off her presence, and he found himself moving up another staircase in pursuit. For all the galleons in the world he didn't know why he was following her. She disgusted him more than any other bloody Gryffindor if he now counted the fact that her brother, the Mudblood and Potter were gone. The corridors twisted slightly and he followed the path as though he could find her blindly if he wanted to. He could have blamed it on his need for status and power. Anything to belittle her to make himself feel better was always a win-win situation. After everything he had endured under the hand of his father and the Dark Lord nothing seemed better then putting the poor Bloodtraitor in her place.

Up ahead a loud crash forced him back to his senses, and he immediately Draco drew his wand out of precaution. If he had learned one thing over the last year it was caution. Turning the corner a silver suit of armor had crumbled to the floor. At first he assumed that she had knocked it over and continued on. The large pieces of armor were definitely that of some half-breed giant, and the torso piece alone stood a good five feet off the ground. He approached it, his wand still wavering slightly in front of him, and just like that a small noise sounded from behind it.

"Show yourself." He aimed it directly behind the armor only to see the rising form of the youngest Weasley. She looked a jumbled mess as she rose across from him, and a twinge of excitement shot through him. "Pathetic really, Weasel."

Her face lifted to greet his, and her stomach lurched slightly. He had already caused her enough mind games on the train. She wasn't much in the mood for another round after what had just happened with Carrow. "What do you want?" He voice was cold, but cracked slightly. The gash on her face had yet to cease from bleeding, but Draco could tell she had done her best to stop the oozing. Unfortunately it was harder to perform healing magic on oneself.

"Don't you think you should be a bit kinder to me. I am the one after all with the wand pointed at you." He smirked his usual cocky Malfoy smirk.

"What are you going to do then, Malfoy? Hex me? Curse me? Kill me?" She wiped at her face again and let out a bitter laugh. "Couldn't do it last year to Dumbledore. What makes me think you have the nerve to do it now?" Her hands slipped to her hips and she stared at him disdainfully.

A tick of a second flashed by, and he was grabbing her at the throat. "Don't you dare speak to me as though you understand! Don't you dare!" His eyes swam with fury, and like that brief moment on the train Ginny was scared again. "You have no idea what the hell you are going on about. Filthy Bloodtraitor…" His words hissed, his face mere inches from her own. "I could kill you now you know. No one would question your death. No one cares about your bleeding poor excuse of a Pureblood family. A waste of breeding stock. That's all you are."

"Malfoy.." She coughed, " let go…you…you are hurting me." Her eyes watered as the lack of air began to catch in her throat. "Malfoy…"

"Where's your precious Halfblood boyfriend now , Weaselette? Left you behind after he got everything he wanted out of you then? Must admit it was one of his better moves. I wouldn't want to touch a dirty little Bloodtraitor either." Rage poured out from him, and he tightened his grip again disregarding her choking.

"Please…" Her voice had slipped low and desperate, and Ginny looked up at him her eyes pleading with him.

His cold gray eyes searched her chocolate brown ones and as quick as it had happened he let go. Ginny coughed frantically while falling down to her knees. Her breathing was short and needy, and for a moment she felt her a blackness cover her eyes. Slowly her breathing returned again, and she looked up to still see Malfoy standing over her. His wand was still pointing down at her face, and she back up slightly and pushed shakily to her feet. "What the…hell is wrong …with you?" She choked out.

He didn't say a single thing. A mixture of ridiculous emotions came over him and suddenly he wished nothing more then to kill her on the spot. He could save the respect of his family then. By one single kill he knew it would somehow place earned merit upon the eyes of the Dark Lord. He could get his father back in the Dark Lords good graces. His mother would no longer have to fear for her own life in her own Manor. With one single kill of a sodding Bloodtraitor he could earn himself a spot back where power was at his fingertips.

A flash of light pulsed out the tip of his wand, and Malfoy watched as Ginny slammed her eyes shut. "Clean yourself up. You are a bloody disgrace." She reached up to feel her face, and her eyes widened at the mended gash upon her cheek. His robes billowed behind him as he turned to leave her standing there. His own mixture of bewilderment mimicked the reaction of the girl he left behind.

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Each chapter will contain portions of a song, and I really suggest downloading the song and listening to the full track to emphasize the emotions I'm trying to hit. This chapter contained lyrics from **It Doesn't Matter** by **Alison Krauss.**

It's exciting to get this fic going again. Please let me know what you think via **Review**. Thanks!


	2. Behind You

If anyone seems unsure of this story, yes it is I **Eruaphadriel (reposting my old unfinished story).** Im looking to redo my most successful uncompleted pieces and this was one I was looking to finish. I am reposting this with some changes so be sure to REVIEW and Send love 3

My uber love must first go to **ELLE** as she **recalled** this story, posted, and was happy to see it on its way. **THANKS ELLE!**

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Xx _All the things you took for granted_

_Hit you like a bullet in the gut_

_You can't get up_

_Well are you gonna even try?_

_Cause if you never even try_

_Time will pass you by xX_

**Chapter 1**

Draco sat on the edge of his bed going over the previous evenings events. If this had been last year he would have felt elated that the youngest Weasel got what was coming to her. Oh how long he had waited for the day that he'd be able to get away with anything in Hogwarts. With the Carrows present and Snape as Headmaster it was like sodding Christmas come early. His father had informed him that things would be different at school with Dumbledore gone. He just didn't expect it to be so drastic. Sure Weasley had it coming when she mouthed off to Snape, but he never expected Carrow to perform such a spell in front of the students. In Draco's opinion it seemed absolutely stupid. It only exhibited brute strength and to be honest most of the blasted Gryffindors would find it an easy reason to retaliate. If Carrow had any sort of intellect in her crooked finger she would have threatened the Weasel with words.

He cursed to himself and fell back against the silver and green pillow in his four post bed. Hadn't he been the one to exhibit brute force on the red headed twit last night?

"Malfoy you coming?" Blaise Zabini called from behind the curtains.

Draco pressed his eyelids shut and forced his thumb and index finger to press along the bridge of his nose. "Don't wait for me."

"You are going to miss breakfast thought." Zabini let out a laugh. "With any luck we may get food and show again. Think that Mudblood lover will do anything fun today?"

Draco knew that Zabini was waiting right on the other side of his curtains, but he didn't bother moving. "Dunno Zabini. Really don't." He cleared his throat which was the usual indication that he wanted to be alone.

"Merlin Malfoy what the hell crawled up your arse and died over the summer?" The door of the dormitory opened, and he heard Zabini pause in the frame. "See you later then."

Malfoy merely scoffed and waited until the door slammed behind Zabini before moving from the bed. No one really understood what the hell had been happening at Malfoy Manor over the summer. He couldn't casually bring up the fact that his family was black listed from the Death Eaters for failing multiple missions the Dark Lord had set. Not to mention the fact that the sodding Dark Lord had decided to use the Manor for Death Eater headquarters. Everyday had become a display of death and disaster in his home, and the most he could do was force a look of pleasure to his face whenever someone like Greyback wandered into his home and reported the multiple muggle deaths.

He had no intention of heading to breakfast. Instead he paced back and forth in his room until he knew the Great Hall would be clearing out. Grabbing the black bag he used for his books, Malfoy draped it over his shoulder and removed himself from the Slytherin common room. The dungeons were deathly quiet, and he found his footsteps quicken on his way to the entrance hall. He had no idea what the hell Snape was playing at inviting the Carrows to teach at the school, but he wasn't about to sit back and watch it all from the side lines.

"Watch it." He sneered at a younger Hufflepuff who had emerged from a side corridor. The blonde girl squeaked out a cry and hurried off in the other direction without looking back. Malfoy didn't blame her.

He had grown quite a bit over the summer allowing the broadness of his shoulders to finally settle into his awkward shape. His hair had grown a bit , and he no longer fussed over it as much as he used to. There was still the obsession with dressing appropriately for someone of his status but that was a natural given. He adjusted the gray sweater that clung to his chest, and turned the final corridor that led to the staircase. He took the steps two at a time and found himself on the top landing. A few students were already hurrying off to class and Malfoy pushed by them with one focus set on his mind. He was going to get his schedule and get to class without speaking a single word to anyone.

"Ow!" His shoulder collided into a smaller individual, and Malfoy cast a sideways glance at the person. Her books had fallen across the floor, and she bent down on her knees to gather them. "You could at least help." Her voice he noted was more than tired, but he only stood over her and watched her gather her things. Apparently she had no idea who she was speaking up to or she wouldn't have asked for his help. When her eyes finally turned up to meet his he heard her breath hitch in her throat. "Forget it." She murmured, and turned her attention back to her things.

Malfoy didn't bothering retorting. He stepped over her, not forgetting to kick one of her books out of her reach, and entered the Great Hall.

McGonagall had been moving across the room towards the Ravenclaw table when she spotted him entering the room. "Ah Mr. Malfoy. Here…" She handed him his schedule and turned from him without another word.

He supposed he should have expected it. After letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts last term he doubted anyone would treat him normally. Glancing down at the parchment in his hand he cursed under his breath at the sight of his first class. They had taken Defense Against the Dark Arts from the term and replaced it with plain old Dark Arts. He fought back a biting laugh. How quickly things change. Shaking his head he removed himself from the room before Pansy could corner him. He had caught her out of his peripheral and the look in her face was so damn determined. Draco wasn't ready to deal with her at the moment.

Moving with hurried speed from the room Draco found the staircase and bounded up them at record speed. It was the same trek he had made the previous evening when looking for Weasley. Still unsure why he had even bothered going after her, Draco made a left down the corridor and leaned his body against the stone wall. True there were about a million different things going on inside his head but it didn't change the fact that Weasley was a Bloodtraitor. She was everything that he was so against, and yet at the same time he couldn't help but wonder what it was she saw in righteous little Potter. The boy who everyone sodding loved. Deep within the pit of his stomach he felt an uneasy burning, and he spit on the corridor floor.

"Darco Draco…" A sniveling little voice came out from behind him, and Draco turned to face the body. Amycus Carrow. Draco cursed him mentally and folded his arms across his chest. "Here early for your first Dark Arts class?" He let out a fevered little squeak of delight. "Expect you to be top in class." He wheezed a bit and pushed into the classroom that had been used every year for Defense.

"Didn't know you'd actually be teaching." Draco followed Carrow into the room and took the seat furthest from the front. He placed his bag down on top of the desk and leaned back into the chair with apparent laziness.

"Your father suspects that you'd enjoy this class most this term. Says you've done nothing but complain about curriculum in the last five years." Amycus removed his wand from his pocket and began transfiguring the room into a dank dungeon type atmosphere. "You'll be pleased with our first lesson then. Very pleased indeed."

Draco was unsure about the eagerness in Carrow's eyes. Something about the way he was looking towards the door and then back to the parchment in front of him caused Draco to sit up a bit straighter as the first person walked into the room. Longbottom. It had to be Longbottom didn't it. The plump boy had grown just like Draco over the summer, and as he passed by the desk he was certain Longbottom scoffed under his breath. He had to admit the little Gryffindor bugger had grown a bit of nerve ever since joining up with Potter and his cronies two years ago. He shook his head casually as Longbottom took the seat to the far right of the room.

Over the next few minutes more students shuffled into the room, the Slytherins babbling on in excitement when they noticed Carrow standing in the front . The Gryffindors however looked absolutely uneasy, and Draco choked back a laugh at the sight. Merlin he loved watching the prats squirm like this.

A slam from the front caused them all to jerk their attention to where Carrow was standing. "This is your first Dark Arts class of the term." Carrow practically drooled over the podium he was standing at. "Turn to page forty six of your text and read the first paragraph."

Much to his distaste Draco opened up his text and turned to the spoken page. He didn't read. He didn't have to. The title at the top of the chapter was enough to let him know exactly what they were about to start learning. The Cruciatus Curse was something that had been widely used in the Manor over the summer holiday. He had witnessed his Auntie Bellatrix use it twice on a Mudblood they had captured outside the Manor, and he had used it himself on Ollivander when forced by the Dark Lord himself. He knew what was going to happen before Carrow even opened his mouth. Draco kept his eyes planted down on the text in hopes of avoiding the eventual question.

"The Cruciatus Curse is widely known across the wizarding world, and in my opinion isn't used nearly as much as it should be. For instance if we use this curse more frequently we can obliterate those who are resisting both the Ministry and the betterment of the Pureblood wizarding community. With that said…" Carrow stalked around from behind the podium and pointed towards the back of the room. "Mr. Malfoy will you please stand."

He knew why Amycus Carrow was doing it. The Dark Lord had grown suspicious of Draco's loyalties ever since the murder of the Muggle Studies Professor over the summer. His mother had even warned him of something like this. Granted she was trying her hardest to slip back into the loyal eye of the Dark Lord she had been certain to let Draco know that his seventh year at Hogwarts would be nothing short of difficult. Malfoy stood and stared back at Carrow with a unreadable expression.

"Good good…now." Carrow's eyes scanned the room until they landed on the head of Seamus. He reached back and grabbed the parchment that he had been looking at earlier. "Mr. Finnigan it states here that you have been sent in for questioning about your Halfblood status." Carrow watched as Seamus nodded slowly. "Well then although the Ministry feels that you are still able to attend school the truth remains that your blood is only half worthy to be present. Mr. Malfoy if you will." He gestured towards Seamus and Draco quirked a brow.

"If I will what?" His wand remained jammed in the pocket of his robes.

"If you will perform the Cruciatus Curse on Mr. Finnigan here we can study the dimensions of the spell." A sick twinkle of glee sparked behind Carrows eyes. "We'd all like to see exactly what the curse entails…" He gestured towards the Slytherin side of the class.

"You can't do that!" Neville had perked up from his seat. "It's an Unforgivable. It's against wizarding rule!"

"It looks to me that Wizarding rule has been changing Mr. Longbottom, and unless you wish to be on the receiving end of the curse…much like your dear sweet parents…then I would shut your mouth. Now Mr. Malfoy…"

Draco stood firmly in his place while his wand remained exactly where it was. A urged whisper from Pansy brought him out of the daze, and he slowly removed the wand from its place. Fear was etched in the features of Finnigan, and Draco couldn't bare to look at him. Fear disgusted the blonde haired Pureblood, and he casually lifted the wand and pointed it towards Seamus. "Crucio." He spoke the words so unwillingly that the tip of his wand merely sparked and the jet of light hit Seamus like a sting in his side.

"Mr. Malfoy." Carrow's eyes had widened a bit, and he took a step towards the center of the room. " I suggest you take this assignment seriously. I do not wish to have a repeat of last years circumstance."

Draco knew exactly what Carrow was referring too. The night they had cornered Dumbledore in the tower Draco had been slow to act on his mission. Hell, it was the sole reason he was cast down upon by the Dark Lord. Draco lifted his wand again and with the same lazy ambition cast the Crucio curse on Finnigan. This time the curse emitted a bit more then just a spark, but Carrow had obviously caught Draco's intentions. Carrow stormed so quickly across the room that he was at Draco's side almost immediately.

Carrow's voice hissed in his ear. "Cast it now young Malfoy or I will be forced to take up word with the Dark Lord. You do recall he is at the Manor with your precious Mother."

The quick fury that seized through Draco caused his upper lip to quiver, and he once again lifted his wand" Crucio." The curse hit Finnigan at full force causing the Gryffindor to tumble backwards and scream out in furious pain.

"Much better." Carrow slapped him lightly on the back which Draco had unexpected.

His wand aim slipped slightly and jerked wildly to the left hitting the podium and causing it to explode into shards of wood. Carrow's eyes bulged with fury, and he grabbed Draco by the sleeve and yanked him towards the door. "I think it is time you see the Headmaster, Draco. You need to straighten your priorities." Carrow pushed him from the room and slammed the door causing Draco's robes to flap around his ankles.

The walk to Snape's new office was a long and much unanticipated one. He had always assumed Snape's intentions the previous year was to receive the glory of the Dark Lord. When he had been the one to raise his wand and kill Dumbledore Draco knew he had been right. Now the bloody git was the Headmaster of the school and the Dark Lords right hand man. It was pathetic. Draco cursed under his breath again and found himself standing in front of the statue that had once been Dumbledores. Draco had recalled being up in the office only once his entire time at Hogwarts. It was an awkward sort of feeling knowing that the man in the office was a Death Eater. After so many years of planning the Death Eaters had finally achieved position inside the blasted school.

"Damn." He wiped his hand across his face and stared up at the statue. Carrow, the narrow minded twit that he was, had forgotten to tell him the password to even get into the office. Well at least now he didn't have to face any consequences.

As though mocking him the statue started turning and a pair of skinny legs became visible. The legs were followed by a perfectly round bottom and a small torso. A smirk formed on his lips, and Draco found himself pushing from the wall he had started leaning on. It was when the red hair hanging down her mid back came into view that he scrunched his nose in disgust. Had he just been ogling the youngest Weasel? When her face finally turned to greet his her chocolate eyes went from blazing to absolutely infuriated.

"What are you doing here?" She spat out at him as her tiny body moved by his.

"Could ask you the same thing." The corner of his mouth twitched.

She folded her arms across her chest. "Don't play games with me, Malfoy." She swung her hair over her shoulder, and Draco couldn't help to catch a glimpse of her cream colored neck.

"I wouldn't play a thing with you even if you paid me." He stepped by her as the entrance to the Headmasters office remained open. "Not that you'd be able to afford my company anyway." The staircase started to turn and he caught a glimpse of her finger shooting up to cast him a rude gesture.

Draco pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose again. It had become quite the habit ever since the summer. Something about the pressure point seemed to relax him, and he needed just that. First Carrow, then Weasley and now Snape. If the Gods wanted him dead why didn't they just strike him down right then and there. The staircase lurched slightly and came to a sudden halt. He didn't bother knocking on the door to the Headmasters office. Instead he barged right in causing Snape to turn away from the portraits on the wall with an almost terrified expression on his face. The moving portraits came to a halt, and Draco could have sworn he saw Dumbledore cast a glance at him before closing his eyes and returning to a slumber.

"Draco…" Snape pulled out the seat in front of him and took a seat gesturing for Draco to do the same. " Wasn't expecting you this morning. Weasley yes…but you…" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Who sent you?"

"Professor Carrow." He stated bluntly, his eyes still lingering on the portrait of Dumbledore behind Snape. Even though the man was dead Draco felt a pressure of guily weight heavily down upon him. How much had he risked all for the Dark Lord? A power that he would be forced to live under the rule of for the rest of his life. He turned his attention back to Snape. " I wouldn't perform the Cruciatus on Seamus Finnigan."

Snape let out a frustrated sigh and wiped his hand over his elongated nose. "Draco I do not have time to watch over you such as I have before. Thing have changed if you havent noticed here."

"So can I leave then?"

Snape stood and turned his back to Draco. There was a second where Draco could have sworn he sensed Dumbeldore motion something in the portrait again, but dismissed it once Snape turned back towards him.

"Draco I have a proposition for you." Snape crossed the length of the room and came to pause in front of the pensieve that had once been Dumbledores. "I will avoid giving you any detention if you spend the remainder of your evenings reorganizing the Potions store room. After last year the room has become a bit, well, disastrous according to Slughorn. The insufferable bloke keeps pestering me to fix it for him." Snape sighed. "Apparently the lump has forgotten how to perform magic himself. If you would arrive there each evening at six after dinner we can forget the incident with Carrow even occurred. "

Draco pursed his lips together. "What's this really about? I'm not stupid you know."

Snape merely shook his head and faced the youngest Malfoy. Merlin if Lucius could put up with him so could he. "It's about you reorganizing the Potions down in the store room to avoid the newly forced punishments in detention. Now if you'd much rather take that detention it's fine by me…though I should mention detention, well all detention, is being administered by the Carrows." He said this lazily as though it didn't bother him, but Draco sensed the hint of disgust lingering behind the words.

"Fine. Six then." He stood from the chair, pausing another second to stare at Dumbledore's portrait.

"Six this evening, Mr. Malfoy." He held up his hand to halt the boys protest. "Six this evening."

Draco removed himself from the chair he had been sitting in and glared across at Snape. "Just because you've got this fancy new job doesn't mean you can treat me as though I am nothing. My father is-"

"Your father has disgraced his name along the lines of the Dark Lord. Do not fall prey to antics as well."

Draco narrowed his eyes coldly at the man and then stalked from the room without another word. The office had become silent again, and Snape turned back to focus on the portrait behind him. "The boy is becoming exceedingly difficult." Snape stared quietly at the portraits.

If anyone had walked into the room then and there they would have thought that the sallow looking man was talking to the wall. There was another pause of silence until the elder man in the portrait moved and Snape shifted slightly on his feet. "I told you before Severus…the boy must come to realize that he is no murderer. His loyalties have been tested, and young Mr. Malfoy does not share the same shadowed dreams of his father or Aunt."

"But how can you be so certain. He did after all-"

"He did after all complete the task set out for him last term, but did not follow through with the most important part. Draco has been forced his entire life to live in the footsteps of his father. I do believe he has come to realize that it is not the path he wishes to follow." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You know Mr. Malfoy well Severus. Do you truly believe that he is to succumb to the Dark Lord just like those who fail to take control of themselves?"

Snape paused for a moment and thought back to the years he had known Draco. Dumbledore certainly did have a point. For as long as Snape could recall Draco had never been one to settle for anyone else's rule. He had always been driven to appease himself, but Snape had always tallied that up to usual Slytherin behavior. "But how can you be certain? How can you assume that he would be willing to sacrifice his status?"

"You did." Dumbledore's voice was strained slightly. "You came to me and refused to be what you weren't. People can change Severus, and I believe Mr. Malfoy is balancing on the edge of that decision."

"And punishing him with this sort of detention will do what?" Snape scoffed. "He's going to become even more irritated once he realizes-"

"Severus, the heart can make one do miraculous things." He smirked. "And though you may think that that Malfoy's behavior is growing more difficult I see him differently. Malfoy has been taking life for granted a long while now, Severus. "

Snape leaned against the large desk and shook his head. He didn't quite believe that Dumbledore was thinking clearly. Malfoy never thought of anyone but himself, and he doubted the boys heart was anything but a solid brick of ice. Snape sighed and crossed the room towards the door. "I must go inform Slughorn that the store room will be under renovation come this evening. I suppose I should also inform Minerva." He shook his head. This idea was either going to be a brilliant one or a thunderous disaster. He was certain it was going to be the latter.

Ginny tossed herself down on the four poster and screamed murderously into her pillow. It had been one day and already she had received a blow from Carrow and forced into detention with the greasy git of a Headmaster. She hadn't even done anything wrong in the first place. There was only a small mention of rebuilding the DA with Neville, and somehow Snape had been standing right over her shoulder. Why didn't Neville get detention as well? It seemed as though the entire school was out for her simply because she was a Bloodtraitor. She hated it. Perhaps if she wrote an owl home to her mother she'd come and steal her away from the god awful place.

"Gin are you alright?" A voice came from just outside the door and she groaned." Fine Parvati. Tell Lavender I'm fine too." There was a muffled exchange of words and Ginny rolled her eyes. Couldn't everyone just leave her alone?

Closing her eyes and pressing her face further into the pillow Ginny allowed herself to find that sweet moment of sleep once again. The sting from her cheek still rose slightly as she laid there, but slumber overtook her quickly enough that the stinging barely affected her.

She was replaying the dream again. The kiss furious and lustful with Harry as they stood in her room. She hated herself for falling helplessly to the dream again. Each moment seeming to last longer then it really did. And then the dream was shifting again, and Ginny found herself standing in the middle of the wedding commotion. Kingsley's patronus had paused mere inches from her feet, and the common rush that had passed along throughout the crowd like wild fire.

She wondered where Harry had been at that point. Her eyes frantically had searched the crowd for him, but they found nothing but a mess of red hair and panic. A hand had taken hold of her elbow, and George had begun pulling her inside along with the rest of the family. She screamed in protest. Harry, Ron and Hermione were somewhere out there, and she needed to be sure that they were ok. Desperate to run back out into the yard she pulled at George only to find him grip tighter to her arm.

"George please!"

"Gin, there are Death Eaters out there. You need to hide. Go up to your room and lock the door we will try-"

Lucius Malfoy barged through the back door and stood menacingly in the frame. Ginny watched her mothers hand twitched towards her wand and her father back up in front of her. "Arthur I dare suggest you step away from your wife and proceed to take a seat with your family on this thing…" He pointed towards their large couch.

One by one the family took a seat, and Ginny clung desperately to George and buried her face in his shoulder. There was an overwhelming silence steadied between them, and Ginny lifted her face slightly to see the Death Eater Dolohov enter behind Malfoy.

"You." Malfoy's long pointed finger stopped in front of Ginny's eyes, and she felt George tense beside her. "Stand up…"

"Ginny wake up." A hand pushed her slightly in the side, and Ginny bolted upright in her bed. "Ginny are you alright?"

Ginny's forehead was sweating profusely, and she looked down into Natalie McDonald's worried face. " 'm alright." She swung her legs over the side of her bed and glanced around the darkened dormitory.

"I was coming up the stairs and heard you screaming at the top of your lungs. Kept yelling out things like someone was hitting you." Natalie's eyes were orbed and fearful, and she stood up allowing Ginny room to remove herself from her bed.

Ginny merely nodded and looked across at the clock present on the wall.

"Natalie…what time is it?" She squinted slightly to get a better glimpse at the wall.

"Bout five minutes to six. You slept right through dinner and all…and Gin where you going?"

Ginny was up and out of her bed in record time. Her feet carried her swiftly down the stairs and she pummeled through a group of first years and yelled back a quick apology. Her first detention of the term and she was going to be late for it. Merlin it would only give Snape another reason to punish her.

Dashing down one of the long corridors Ginny stumbled slightly down the staircase and landed at the bottom with a thud. A sharp twisting pain ran up her side, but she brushed it off and continued down towards the dungeons. Her feet skidded as she turned another corridor and a horrified yell passed through her lips at the sight.

Dementors? In the castle? Two of them bobbed in the air right along the edge of one of the passage ways. Back when she was in her second year she had been terrified of the things she had seen when the dementors got to close. Every horrible possessed memory of Tom Riddle had over taken her, and now as she stood at the edge of the corridor the same rush of worry came over her.

Suddenly she wished she didn't scream as the dementors had turned towards her and began drifting along the empty corridor. Removing her wand Ginny pointed it firmly at them and mustered up her happiest memory. "Expecto Patronum!" A feathery white light moved from the tip of her wand, but it barely reached the two approaching dementors. "Expecto…Expecto…" Her hand wavered slightly, and she yelled again as the rush of Harry's face filled her mind. "Expecto Patronum!" This time the spell hit the first dementor square in the chest, and her Patronus rushed off towards the next one. Both dementors turned to flee down the opposite corridor, and Ginny grinned. She had always done well with her Patronus when in the DA and now it was apparent that she still was able to cast the powerful magic.

Ginny turned to run back the other way when her body collided with another hard object. Forward she went, her eyes catching nothing but the hard ground she was about to hit. Instead a cushioned blow stopped her from careening with the floor, and Ginny felt her body sprawled across another.

"Well Weaselette are you going to just stay there all day, or are you going to remove yourself?" The voice quipped, and Ginny turned her head to look up at the frustrated face of Draco Malfoy.

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This chapter contains lyrics from** Put it Behind You** by **Keane**. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thanks in advance! All reviewers get giant cookies!


	3. Day Old Hate

Thank you all so much for the reviews. You guys are truly awesome. With that said I give you the next chapter!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not own JKR's brilliance...but please **REVIEW**

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Xx _Now you still speak of day old hate_

_Though your whole world has gone up into flames_

_And isn't it great to find that you're really worth nothing_

_And how safe it is to feel safe_

_So drown me if you can_

_Or we could just have conversation_

_And I fall, I fall, I falter._

_But I found you before I drift away xX_

**Chapter 3**

Ginny blinked once. She blinked twice. She held his stare for a moment more before quickly shuffling off of him and propping herself up on her knees. On any other normal evening she would have come back with something to really put him in his place. It was an ongoing battle that they had forged years prior to this moment, but an unlikely feeling had settled in her stomach. The same conniving sneer was present on his face, but the glimpse of truth behind his eyes indicated something that Ginny had never been close enough to witness before. Not that she wanted to sit there and get to close to him. It was Malfoy for Merlins sake. There were plenty of other stellar options she could have thrown herself into, but looking into his eyes seemed to be the only available option at his moment. Honestly he wasn't an unattractive bloke. He had the most prominent chiseled features, and if you looked at his eyes in certain light the gray slipped into icy blue.

_My Gods what am I thinking? It's Malfoy! Ew!_

Her hand jet to the sides of her head and she screamed out in her head. Merlin it was just painful to even think of him without wanting to bat bogey hex him. She felt her eyes widen slightly and she quickly placed her hands on the ground and hoisted herself back up into standing position. He on the other hand just smirked up at her before rising as well.

His hands dropped down to the front of his robes and he brushed at the newly placed dust that appeared along his torso. "So are you going to gawk at me all day then? Cant blame you really… though I doubt precious Potter would be thrilled." His eyes lowered towards his tie and he straightened it with a hint of arrogance.

"Oh get over yourself you raging prat. If you weren't bloody in my way then I wouldn't have fallen over you in the first place." She turned her nose up slightly in the air. "And don't talk about Harry. Your barely even worthy enough to speak his name."

This caused the tips of his ears to turn read slightly, and he scoffed. "Get out of my way, Weaselette." His left arm reached out and he pushed her aside.

"Wait!" Her cry startled even her, and Ginny scrunched her nose slightly. Ginny felt guilty for even calling out his name in worry. He had been the reason Dumbledore was dead. He was part of the reason Harry couldn't return to Hogwarts this term. She fought the urge to just turn right then and there and let him discover it on his own. Her conscious won the battle however and she remained planted.

With the same confused feelings she was struggling with, Draco turned around and quirked a brow. "What?" All he wanted to do was get down to the storeroom and get the punishment over in as little time as possible. Unfortunately the redheaded fireball was making that difficult.

"I just came from that way. Dementors are stationed at that end of the corridor." Looking back at what had just been exchanged between them Ginny couldn't for the life of her figure out what had caused her to tell him. She hated him with every fiber of her being, and yet couldn't send him off to his doom like some heartless nitwit.

Draco stared at her silently and then turned his head towards the next corridor. He certainly did feel an odd chill present in the air, but he had tallied that up to be the stupid chill that plagued the castle on a regular basis. Then again it could have been the beady little glare the Weaselette was throwing him. Wither way his eyebrow remained quizzically arched.

"Why should I believe you?" He narrowed his eyes. "When did you suddenly become a righteous Gryffindor…and to me of all people?" His eyes lit a bit, " is this your way of showing your fancy then? How disgustingly sweet, Weasley. I'm flattered of course, but your filthy Pureblood is only good for one thing…and I'm not much in the mood to paint the walls red."

Spinning wildly on her heel Ginny stormed down the corridor in the opposite direction, and clambered down the staircase.

Draco just stared after her with his usual smirk before waiting a moment and then following suit. He could have tested her warning about the dementors, but an unusual trust of her word had surprised him. By the time he reached the lower landing of the staircase the tiny little redhead was gone, and Draco found himself alone again on his way to the Storeroom.

What he wouldn't give to be back in his dormitory behind the curtains of his four post bed. Sleep had been brief back at the Manor and now that he had returned to school he was hoping that he'd be able to obtain a little bit of rest. Damn Snape for ruining that for him. Which was another thing he still didn't understand. How the hell did Snape manage to convince the Dark Lord to allow him into the school as Headmaster. Draco had figured that the Dark Lord himself would sit rightfully in that chair. After all he had heard the stories from his father about the Dark Lords obsession with the school. He had it right where he wanted, and he gave that privilege to Snape? Draco shook his head and slid down the banister of the last staircase.

He hoped Slughorn wasn't there to watch over him. The overweight git had a tendency to be a pain in Draco's side, and all he wanted to do was get the stupid detention over with so he could get back to his dormitory. Merlin his father would have a fit if he knew what Snape was making him do. Granted he did not want to serve a detention with the Carrow's, but the least Snape could have done was let Draco off the hook. Wasn't he supposed to favor the young Slytherin.

He scoffed, and stepped in front of the door that he had frequented so often last year. Slughorn was an idiot. The amount of Polyjuice Potion he had nicked from the shelves last year was enough to serve to the entire army of the Dark Lord. He reached out and twisted the knob of the door. The small space that was already open peaked his curiosity. So Slughorn had decided to show up and oversee Draco's punishment? "Merlin's beard." Rolling his eyes and huffing quite loudly, Draco pushed the door open causing the heavy wood to bang against the nearest shelf. A box of vials tipped from the very top landing and shattered against the floor with a disturbing bang.

"Are you following me?"

He turned his eyes upward. There on the extended ladder that reached to the ceiling the small frame of the youngest Weasley stood. In the shadows he could barely make out her face, but he was sure she was casting him that foul look that she never seemed to pass up while he was around. Draco merely stepped inside the storeroom and shut the door behind him. Taking out his wand he cleared the mess he had created, and then casually glanced up at her.

"I don't believe I gave you permission to speak to me." He retorted with a cold stare that caused her to descend from the ladder and cross towards him.

"What are you doing in here ferret face?" Her finger thrust harshly in the center of his chest, and Ginny's lip quivered with anger.

He picked up her discarded robe and waited a moment for her to yank it away. "Oh I dunno really…figured I'd take a late night stroll to the potions storeroom cause I cant get enough of the blasted class during the morning hours." His words dripped with humored sarcasm, and he pushed by her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her grab her shoulder in pain. Draco suppressed a chuckle. "What the hell do you think I'm doing? It's six in the evening…I have a detention to serve." He took a few steps up the ladder she had just been on. "So what are you doing? Gonna make a potion to bring your hero home?" A disgusted noise erupted from the back of his throat.

Tossing her robe on the back of the door, Ginny sighed. "You know its really sad how jealous you are of Harry. Not that I blame you really…I mean when you could choose between being someone heroic or a slimy murderous Death Eater I would be jealous too." She folded her arms in front of her. "I have detention too. Lucky us."

Malfoy snarled and lifted a bottle of the lowest shelf. Basilisk acid. Merlin how he would love to throw it at her feet and watch her skin melt from its bones. He placed it back, and took a few more steps up the staircase. "I don't really give a damn what you think, Weaselette. I'm here to sort this crap out and then I'm getting out of here. One more second spent with you and I might be forced to hang myself from these rafters." He cast a look down at her. "You stay on that side of the room. I don't even want to breathe the same air as you."

Ginny felt her eyebrows arch slightly. He had made no snide comment back at her about the name calling. That was highly unusual. She had expected him to fly off the handle when she called him a Death Eater. Ginny turned her back on him and sat crossed legged on the floor. During her potions class this afternoon Slughorn had told her that the vials needed to be placed in alphabetical order, and by level of strength. "Do you know what we're supposed to be doing." She kept her comments short and to the point. The less she had to speak with him the better.

"Yeah I organize these vials on my side of the room, and you keep your trap shut. I get out of here quickly, and you keep quiet and out of my hair. Sounds like a win-win situation to me."

She bit down on her lip so hard that she drew blood. The bitter taste trickled down the back of her throat, and she began grabbing the vials on the lowest shelf. One by one she began to alphabetize them. Every now and then she moved her gaze up to where Malfoy was working. He seemed busy organizing something along the top shelf and she turned her eyes back to her own work. As if on cue he turned and looked down at her while she was busy organizing the bottle shelf. From an outside perspective it would seem a deliberate game of missed glances, but Ginny knew in the back of her head that he was doing it on purpose. Every time she turned her head away she could feel his cold eyes look down at her.

And then curiosity sparked up inside of her. What could Malfoy possibly be thinking during a moment like this? A moment where he basically had her, Harry Potter's ex-girlfriend, right there at his disposal. He could have offered her up to the Carrow's easily. Could have somehow stunned her and taken her to the Dark Lord himself. Yet the stupid blonde headed git just packed the shelf in silence only stealing glances at her when he knew she wasn't looking. It was maddening.

Then there was the prospect of him mending her wounds. Twice to be exact. The train ride would have obviously been a bit difficult to pull any trickery on, but when she had come across him in the corridor the precious evening she was once again at his mercy. Was it possible for someone as loathsome as Malfoy to go soft? She gazed up at him again and studied the lines in his face. All the poised and refined features that were normally present were replaced with something harder and aged. It seemed as though Draco Malfoy had suffered unimaginable things over the summer break, and Ginny felt her eyebrows knit together.

"You are awfully quiet."

His words caused her to let out a yelp of surprise. The vial that she was holding slipped out of her fingers and crashed in front of her knees. The brownish potion inside seeped down into the cracks of the floor and disappeared before she even had a chance to siphon it back up. Turning the vial over in her hand Ginny squinted slightly to read the label. Slughorn's tiny scrawl on the bottom of the label had blurred a bit, but she was able to make out Blood-Replenishing Potion. Sighing she placed the empty vial down and looked behind it. There was at least another vial of the rancid looking stuff, and she quickly separated half the contents into the other vial. Capping the top of it she turned up to Malfoy and shrugged.

"I thought we settled on the no speaking arrangement?" Shifting slightly on the floor Ginny tossed her chin upwards to get a better look at him on the ladder.

"Yes well I find myself much more comfortable making you miserable then sitting in silence. I feel like I'm wasting my potential." He stepped down two of the steps and hung onto the sides.

"What potential? I've seen first years with more guts in their pinky finger then you have in your entire body." She snorted back a laugh. "You think you are some sort of god with that tattoo branded on your forearm." She was on her feet though didn't recall standing. "Well I know, as well as Harry and everyone else with an ounce of intelligence, that you are nothing but a pathetic attempt to gain glory that you will never sustain. You aren't even your own person…" She was so daringly close to him as she closed the small gap between them, " you are a sodding puppet. Your strings are attached to the fingers of You-Know-Who and that's just a sad reality all together. Must be fun having someone else telling you when to eat, sleep, and breathe. Hell of a -"

His hand reached back and slapped her quickly across the face. It was the wrong thing to do when he thought back to it. Never in all his years of being a prat had he raised his hand to a witch. His father would most likely beat him on his own accord if he learned about it. It didn't even matter that it was a Bloodtraitor he raised his hand to. The fact was he had just hit Ginny, and the furious look on her face spoke a million words.

Draco wasn't surprised when she didn't cry. Yet he was surprised when she just turned around and sat back down to do her work. He had stiffened himself for a blow across the face, but like the incident in the corridor earlier she had done something he never expected.

"Weas- Ginevra look…I'm - well I didn't mean to - Is your face ok?" So he wasn't exactly great with apologies. For Merlin's sake he was a Malfoy. The only person he had ever apologized to was his father, and that was a sodding forced apology.

Ginny remained stoned faced. There was a growing red mark on her cheek, and for a very brief second her eyes had welled with tiny tears. But she would NOT cry in front of Draco Malfoy.

She paused. Had he just called her Ginevra?

With her head bent slightly Ginny glanced at him casually out of the corner of her eye. "Save your half arsed apology Mal-ferret. Look I hate you, and you hate me. I just want to finish this detention, and then leave." She had nothing more to say to him.

Draco merely nodded, and returned to his shelf. " You do know this is going to take longer then one evening, right?" He didn't bother looking down to see if she acknowledged him. He knew that she was listening regardless if she wanted to.

Cursing herself mentally Ginny sat back and stared at half the shelf she had completed. "I know."

"So why don't we just finish the last few vials we have out and do the rest tomorrow?" He had a handful or so more left to finish on the top right shelf. There was absolutely no way he was starting another one.

Ginny on the other hand looked down at the mess she had created on her shelf. Only half the shelf was organized, and she still had a good twenty or so vials in front of her, but she needed more then anything to get away from him. Hell, she'd do the rest of them tomorrow. One more twisted moment of conversation with him and she was going to throw herself into the shelf hoping some nasty potion burned out her eyeballs.

"I'm done." She began shoving the vials to the side so she could pick up where she left off when she returned.

"What do you mean your done? You've got about thirty vials at your feet." He pointed to where she was pushing the vials.

It was the last little kick she needed. Without any prior warning Ginny let out a frustrated scream. Even Malfoy quirked his brow and took a step away from her as she let out a summer's worth of pain, fear, and anger. She wasn't good enough to stay home with the Order, she wasn't good enough to help Harry, she wasn't good enough to stay out of trouble on the train, and now she wasn't even good enough to organize a bloody shelf. Everything in an instant came crashing down to her feet, and the reality of everything burst into flames around her head. She couldn't take it anymore. Her hands flew madly to her face, and she stormed out of the room without another word to the baffled looking Slytherin.

Her feet scurried across the corridor floor, and she wiped furiously at the tears that had managed to surface. When had everything become so overwhelming in her life? It seemed only yesterday that she had seen Harry on the platform of 9 and ¾ when she was ten. It seemed barely a dream ago that she had been rescued by him in the Chamber of Secrets, and it seemed barely minutes before that she had kissed him right there in the Gryffindor common room. Now she was nothing. Everyone was away fighting some damn epic battle and she was stuck in school feeling more alone then ever. Sure there was Neville and Luna, but the tension was growing far too much. Hell even Dean would have been a comforting reminder of the past, but she had been told by Seamus that Dean was on the run from Muggle inquiry.

It just wasn't fair!

And then there was Draco bloody Malfoy with his pompous smirk, and his murderous beady eyes. The only thing he needed to worry about was finding sleeves long enough to cover the stupid Dark Mark on his arm. She shivered at the thought, and automatically made to grab her robe to fight the chill. Her fingers came up empty handed.

"Bloody hell." She could see the portrait of the fat lady merely five feet from where she was standing. Her stupid robe was still hanging on the back of the storeroom door where she had tossed it earlier in the evening.

Her body begged her to forget about it and just get some sleep. There was the very simple task of heading down there in the morning and just getting it then, but the prospect of running into one of the Carrow's in the morning without her school robe on seemed evident. With the luck Ginny was having she'd probably run into both of them at the same time.

"Could you tell me what time it is?" She cleared her throat as the Fat Lady glared down at her. " Please?"

A high pitched snuff passed through the witch's lips, and she looked over to the right of her portrait. Ginny couldn't see a clock but figured the woman was stealing a peak at another portrait. "About eight thirty. You know the new curfew rule is quite strict. Nine in the evening means exactly that." She huffed again but returned to jabbering with another witch who had just entered the painting.

"Thanks much." Ginny rolled her eyes and began the trek back down to the storeroom.

Her glazed eyes were still fitted with tears, but she blinked them away as her feet carried her towards the stupid dungeon. Avoiding the corridor where she had run into the dementors, Ginny took the staircase at the far corner. Her feet landed on the first floor, and she paused for a moment right outside the entrance hall. The colored rubies in the glasses were still pretty much even, but the Slytherin house points seemed to be at a slightly greater advantage. Ginny shook her head and slipped down the next staircase towards the dungeon.

It was quiet. The last few stragglers in the castle had most likely returned to their common rooms to get some needed sleep. Ginny glanced back over her shoulder. Being down in the dark this late at night only caused goose bumps to form on the back of her neck. Was she being watched? Turning over her shoulder again Ginny paused and glanced back into the shadows. She could have sworn she saw someone standing there, but pressed her eyelids shut. When she opened them again the odd feeling was gone and the shadows seemed stilled again. Perhaps it was all just in her silly imagination. With everything she had witnessed lately she wasn't really surprised her mind was going a bit nutters.

Pausing outside the storeroom Ginny pressed her ear to the door. Was Malfoy still in there? When nothing but silence greeted her ears Ginny pushed the door open and stepped into empty storeroom. He was gone. Thank Merlin. It was bad enough she was going to spend the next few nights stuck in the stupid room with him. At least he was gone now. Closing the door partially Ginny reached up for her robe and pulled it down off the hook it was placed on. Wrapping it tightly around her small frame Ginny swing the door open again and took one step outside the door.

She paused.

Her feet moved backwards, and she dropped to her knees in own swift motion. There was no way she was looking at what she thought she was looking at. Her hand reached out and scanned across the row of vials.

"No.."

Her forehead creased in puzzlement as she went over the vials she had left behind mere minutes ago. Every single vial had been placed in it's correct place. Hadn't she left a good thirty vials shoved against the side of the wall? Pushing to her feet she grabbed the sides of the ladder across the way and climbed to the top shelf that Malfoy had been working on. Her eyes scanned the area that he had been working on, and her breathing hitched slightly in her throat. He hadn't finished his. Snapping her neck she looked down at her area again, and then back to his. Had Malfoy finished her area in lieu of finishing his? Her mouth dropped open and hung there. She must have been seeing things. There was no way Malfoy would help out a Bloodtraitor. Not when he had gone out of his way to make her feel completely crappy all evening. What he hell was he playing at?

The again he had been acting funny all this time. Something about him seemed so un-Malfoyish if that was even possible. But he was a Death Eater! A sworn enemy of everything her family stood for! An enemy of everything Harry stood for. Her head spun slightly as she descended the ladder. Yet he had gone out of his way again to do something completely unexpected. And then the most unexpected thing of all happened. Ginny felt the corners of her mouth twitch slightly. A smile formed gracefully on her lips, and she leaned back against the door staring at the area she had been alphabetizing. Shaking her head, Ginny opened up the door and slipped back out into the cool corridor. Curfew would soon be approaching, and her new found mood was far too sensitive to be shattered by any run in with the Carrow's.

The common room was completely emoty when she entered it a few minutes later. She could only assume that everyone else in the Gryffindor house had just as grueling of a day as she had experienced.

Climbing the stairs towards her dormitory, Ginny opened up the door of the sixth year dorm and slipped over towards her bed. Flopping down on her plush mattress, Ginny buried her face into her pillow and sighed. Her mind immediately flew to Harry. What was he doing? Where was he? Was he alright? And then in the same instant her mind flashed over to the pointed face of Malfoy. Pushing herself up on her bed, Ginny lifted her pillow and tucked it comfortably under her chin. Why was she thinking of Malfoy and Harry at the same time?

"Damn you Malfoy." She let out a groan and shoved her face into her pillow. As much as she hated to admit it she was curious as to what he was doing too. What was he thinking? Where was he now? And why did he finish her work? Even though she still despised him she couldn't suppress the smile from filtering to her lips again. His antics…intentions…whatever was going on inside his selfish Slytherin head had managed to save her from drowning in her own misery. If at only for this one single moment she didn't feel quite so alone.

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Ok my ladybugs, please review! Its a comfort to my soul to move on.

Lyrics supplied from **Day Old Hate** by **City and Color**


	4. Trust Me

_Hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for the feedback. Like always when you are done reading please review. I appreciate all of your kind and constructive words. _

_This chapter is **dedicated** to special reviewer: _

_**Nutmeg44: Thanks so much for your review. It means a lot. Their mixed emotions will definitely become more and more complicated as the story goes on. **_

_Now on to chapter 4 ... _

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_Xx Looking for something I've never seen_

_Alone and I'm in between_

_The place that I'm from and the place that I'm in_

_A city I never been_

_I found a friend or should I say a foe_

_Said there's just a few things you should know_

_We don't want you to see we come and we go_

_Here today, gone tomorrow xX_

**Chapter 4**

Ginny Weasley wasn't one who usually found herself in tight predicaments without a possibility of getting away with some of it. In the past when she had snagged a detention there was usually a little eyelash batting and some sweet words given before the said Professor nixed the detention all together. It was a fair system that she had perfected over years while watching Fred and George get out of trouble. She had to admit she had grown quite well with her scheming. Fred had been so impressed with the way she handled Lucius Malfoy over the summer that he had practically been fooled himself. It took her a good half hour to remind Fred that Harry, Ron and Hermione were on the run. If she had admitted that she knew that to Malfoy he would have tortured more out of the family. The git was relentless though, and only after she had punched him swiftly in the arm did he stop badgering her for more information.

Yet this little ploy was proving to be rather difficult at the current time.

After falling asleep the previous evening she had found herself dreaming very inappropriate things. So bloody inappropriate that she had actually been woken up twice by her dorm-mates urging her to stop babbling nonsense in her sleep. They had all thought she was dreaming about Harry of course. Normally those things wouldn't bother her so much, but because a certain platinum haired Slytherin had managed to show up she wasn't in the best of moods. One minute Harry had been kissing her in her bedroom, and the next Malfoy was telling her she was beautiful. And the worst part was she seemed to enjoy it in her dream.

She had woken up in such a fevered sweat that Parvati Patil had actually barged into the sixth year dorm and worked her out of her bed sheets. Apparently in the midst of her dreaming she had tangled herself up so tightly that she couldn't escape her own damn bed. She had yelled for help for nearly ten minutes before Parvati even showed face. Funny that. It gave her just enough time to hate herself during the course of the morning. How could she possibly think of the slimy bleached blonde bastard? It made her sick to her sodding stomach. It didn't matter that he had fixed her things the night before. It didn't matter that for one bleeding moment she had actually pitied the blonde haired git. The fact of the matter was that he had slapped her across the face, and the reality of that had finally hit her. In fact she had been so disgusted by the dream that she dry heaved in the toilet before dressing.

So with those thoughts still plaguing her Ginny had marched down to Professor McGonagall's office bright and early before breakfast. She planned on having the woman reverse the detention. It was either that or convince Snape to change it so she could serve the detention alone. Being in a close proximity with her sworn enemy was making her think crazy things. First he had gone out of his way to finish her side of the storeroom, and then she couldn't even escape him when she went to sleep. Then after all of that she recalled his slap. AFTER the fact! How was that fair? It was like another form of punishment all together, and Ginny refused to sit quietly and allow it to happen. All she needed to do was butter up McGonagall in such a way that the woman pitied Ginny. After all it was Malfoy who practically murdered Dumbledore. Maybe if she suggested that her life was threatened working with the blonde git she'd be able to get out of it.

Of course the whole thing proved to be an absolute waste of time. It didn't matter what excuse she threw at McGonagall. She had been quite firm with Ginny as she let the young girl know exactly where she stood when it came to discipline in the school. McGonagall had absolutely no say. She didn't even have proper authority in her own classes anymore seeing as they were being monitored by Alecto Carrow. For the first time in six years Ginny had been defeated by her perfect set system. She was going to have to finish the sodding detention with Malfoy, and she was going to do it knowing very well that he was driving her bloody insane.

"Damn." She mumbled under her breath as her feet carried her towards the Great Hall. She was starving to say the least.

The previous evening she had barely touched her food knowing that detention was going to be served that night. Bacon and eggs filled the castle with a mouth watering aroma that Ginny's pace had picked up before she even realized it. She was practically at a run as she met Neville on the stairs.

"Hey Gin." Neville who was already sporting a heavy black eye grinned at her.

" Blimey Neville! What happened to your face?" She was so taken back by his appearance that she tripped down the last two steps but caught herself from falling. Apparently Tonks was rubbing off on her.

Neville reached up and pressed the swollen part of his face. "Oh this" he grinned sheepishly, " I mouthed off to Theodore Nott in the library. The bloke thought he'd repay me with a nice blast into one of the shelves. Pince was bloody angry, but Nott just threatened her with one of the Carrows. Sad really."

"Seems like the Slytherin's have finally claimed run of the school." She murmured under her breath, but loud enough for Neville to catch wind of it.

"What about you" he started as they entered t he Greal Hall and marched across towards the Gryffindor table, " you look right tired. Rough night?" He arched his eyebrows inquisitively.

Ginny took the hint immediately. " It's been rough ever since my brother's wedding."

"I heard about that." Neville slid into one of the seats at the far end of table.

"Yes well…" Ginny leaned forward as Neville began piling a few sausages on his plate, " they knew very well that Harry was going to be there. Luckily enough we were able to get word from someone before the Death Eaters arrived."

It felt so good to finally get a bit of this off her chest. Besides it also kept her occupied. She had a very uncomfortable nagging feeling that someone from across the room was staring at her.

"Blimey." Neville forked some of his food and let it hover in front of his face. "My Gran mentioned something about the wedding. Said she read an article in The Quibbler describing the attack during the wedding. Apparently Luna's father went on a tirade on how war should come to a halt when it comes to marital unions." He rolled his eyes and Ginny stifled a laugh.

"Wasn't lucky enough to read that issue." She nibbled on a piece of toast. "Though I can't imagine The Quibbler succumbing to the same threats the Prophet has. Have you read any of that rubbish?"

Neville nodded eagerly. "Haven't you noticed the tizzy everyone is in?" When Ginny furrowed her brow Neville reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "This was in this mornings post. That fourth year Jimmy Peakes somehow managed to get hold of this. The Carrow's wont let most post come through anymore, but he managed this." He handed her the parchment.

Ginny brushed the crumbs off her hands and reached for the crinkled paper. The picture at the top right corner was that of a smiling Umbridge. Ginny felt her lips turn into a scowl.

_MudBloods: Threat or Threatened?_

_As of the late evening on September the first a full scale investigation was performed at the Ministry involving the particular unknown circumstances that allow Muggle-borns into the greater Wizarding World. How is their magic actually acquired? For centuries we have been told that the magic resides in those worthy to receive it. Yet how true can that hold when Mudbloods have no traces of magic at all within their own world? How is it that a select few of outsiders find their way into a world that is far greater then their own?_

_Records prove that the first known Muggle to achieve such privileged powers was documented in the late 1600's. However it has also been proven that the said Muggle was not born into the ability. Much like many Muggles of the past, the known Muggle girl had accidentally seen magic performed by a true Pureblood wizard. With this newfound fascination the Muggle proceeded to use foolish schemes in order to win the heart of the Pureblood wizard. These schemes eventually led to the untimely death of the Pureblood wizard who was taken in by the conniving Mudblood._

_"We were able to acquire documents proving the seduction and then following thievery performed by the muggle girl. She had knowingly reduced the wizard to a blubbering fool, murdered him, and then stole his wand for her own personal possession." Stated Dolores Umbridge late last evening during the conference._

_The magic from the wizards wand still harbored enough element to be used by the muggle girl. With the stolen wand in tow she illegally placed the magic upon herself. It is unclear how she was able to perform such a feat, but archives prove that through her incident there were many more to follow. This is where the Ministry has taken in turn to detect how threatening these Mudbloods can be. Is it in cold blooded murder that the magic is acquired? Ministry officials were not present to make comment, but we ask you readers to be the judge._

_Through this recent discovery the Ministry of Magic had declared all Muggleborn witches and wizards to be tagged and accounted for. "A full scale inquiry will be required for each so called witch or wizard to endure." Quoted Dolores Umbridge. "The use of magic is a sheer gift and honor, and it's an abomination to Pureblood families that these Mudblood men and woman have knowingly received these abilities by utter luck."_

_The Ministry of Magic requests that all Muggleborn witches and wizards report to the Ministry's new Muggle-born Registration Commission headed by the Ministry's own Dolores Umbridge. "We are trying to rid the wizarding community of those who do not belong. With the new registration process we will be able to maintain those who will only contribute to the greater good of the wizarding world while taking care of those who wont." All unaccounted Mudbloods will be sentenced accordingly, and will receive sentencing to Azkaban._

_By: Geralda Hempshorek_

Ginny felt her mouth gape open as she finished reading the article. She read it once more for it to sink in, and then glanced down the table. "I knew Dean didn't come back because of all this, but I didn't know they were so …"

"Violent about it." Neville finished for her.

She nodded and handed back the parchment. " Don't they see how extreme they are being?" Her mind flashed to Hermione. What would happen if she was caught by someone and unaccounted for? She couldn't imagine Hermione spending time in that Dementor strewn hellhole.

"You think they honestly care much?" Neville shoved the parchment back into his pocket. "Gran says that the Prophet and the Ministry have both been infiltrated by You-Know-Who. It doesn't matter what anyone in there really thinks. Most of them are trying to save their own arse now."

Suddenly her appetite was gone again, and Ginny pushed the plate away. "This is horrible."

"I just wish Harry was here so we could do something about all this. Ya know…fight and all. Just seems like such a waste being stuck here in school when we could be doing loads more out there."

She nodded in frustrated agreement. All summer she had thought the very same thing, but of course regardless of how much she had proved herself in the past she had been shunned aside. Not by only her lover but by her friends as well.

"We could do it ourselves you know." The words had slipped from her mouth before she even knew what she was saying.

"What?" A bit of egg sprayed out of Neville's mouth.

"Get the DA up and running again." She hid the rising smile. There was no reason to call anymore attention to herself. "Come on I already mentioned it once to Lavender and Euan yesterday. Actually…"

"It's what got you that detention wasn't it?" Neville's eyes went wide. He had heard from Seamus that Ginny was the first to see Snape about a detention. "How did you get caught?"

She grimaced. "Snape had been coming around the corner when I brought it up. Murdering greasy git gave me a blasted detention to last me a few weeks. Better him then those Carrow twits though." Ginny let her eyes cast a quick glance towards the front tables. As she moved them to return to Neville she paused for a moment on Malfoy. He seemed to be buried in something in front of him, and she squinted slightly to make it out.

The front of the paper he was holding looked a little too colorful for the Prophet. She was certain she could make out two words, but the angle of the paper made it impossible to read. Then she saw the pair of spectrespecson the table and shook her head in disbelief. Malfoy was reading The Quibbler?

"What are you looking at?" Neville arched his head backwards to look over his shoulder.

Ginny snapped her face forward again, and shrugged. "Just looking around. So what do you think?" Her eyes flickered towards Malfoy again and her curiosity peaked. What was in The Quibbler to attract the attention of the Great Draco Malfoy? Her stomach flopped with eagerness. She needed to know! It was so damn out of his nature to be reading something like that, and in public no less!

"Think about what?" Neville was gulping down pumpkin juice so quickly that Ginny was forced to think of Ron. Ron made her think immediately of Harry, and she felt the curiosity die for a second. How could she be intrigued over Malfoy when Harry was out there in danger?

"About getting the …" She dropped her voice so it was barely above a whisper, " DA started again. We'd be able to get stuff taken care of in here while Harry and the others are out there." Her head inclined towards the outside of the castle.

Neville sat forward in his seat for a good long while before finally letting out a deep breath. Sometimes he just had to stop contemplating things and just go for it. "You are right. Harry's out there risking his neck for all of us. The least we can do is boost some morale in here. Maybe with a little bit of retaliation we can show the others that nothing is hopeless."

Ginny beamed. This was one of the very reasons she loved Neville. Despite his insecurities he always looked out for the well being of others. " Great! I assume you still have your coin then?" He nodded. " Well inform as many people as you can to keep a look out on them. I'll set it all up and we can use the room of requirement again. I'd do it myself but…"

"Detention." Neville nodded. "Yeah don't worry about it. I'll get Luna to help."

Ginny swung her legs out from under the table and grabbed her schoolbag. She had a free period before Transfiguration and wanted to see if she could nag an extra copy of The Quibbler from Luna. There was no way that girl could go one minute without reading a new edition.

"Thanks a lot Neville. This is all going to work out great. We'll be doing a lot for others." She grinned and swung her hair over her shoulder.

Neville returned silently to his food and bid Ginny a wave goodbye. Ginny turned towards the door and removed herself from the emptying hall. Luna had a free period as well so all Ginny needed to do was think like the wispy Ravenclaw. Where would she go on a free period? Hoping she wouldn't go back to the Ravenclaw common room, Ginny decided to first check the library. The girl was a Ravenclaw after all. Didn't they study on a constant basis?

"You haven't been acting the same ever since-"

Draco held up his hand and cut Pansy off. "I told you not now Pansy. Are you really that daft?" His words hissed between his teeth.

He had done his best to avoid her on the way to the Great Hall for breakfast, but the girl was relentless. To be honest he wasn't surprised. Pansy had always clung to him like some desperate fool, and the fact that he had come back avoiding her must have been bothersome. He had gone all summer without returning one of her owls. Granted her father had been to the Manor constantly, but to Draco's utter luck he didn't bring his daughter with him. Instead he just hounded Draco with stupid love letters the brunette wrote.

"Well I still say something is bothering you, and I'll keep saying it until you acknowledge me!" She huffed as they entered the Great Hall. "Even Blaise says you've been acting funny, and he never gives a damn about anyone but himself." She reached for his hand but he batted it away.

Draco ran his hand over his face and sighed. "Look…" He grabbed her by the elbow and squeezed her tiny arm with unnecessary force. She winced, but he continued, " I don't want to discuss a single bloody thing with you, Pansy. Take a tip and then take a hike before I do something that we both really regret."

"But Dra-"

Pushing her arm away Draco stormed to the end of the Slytherin table and took a seat by himself. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Pansy's furious stare but grabbed a cup of black coffee and ignored her. With his free hand he removed the black bag he used for his school books and placed it casually at his feet. From his left he could hear heated whispering coming from Crabbe and Pansy, but chose to shake his head and continue with the silence. He was through with them. Why wouldn't they accept that? Neither had been placed under the same level of stress as he had endured. Hell they weren't even allowed to sit in on any of the meetings with the Dark Lord. Draco was situated on a whole different level, and if they couldn't accept that things were different then so be it.

"You ought to reconsider your actions." A hoarse voice sounded from his right.

Draco turned his head slightly and arched an eyebrow at Gregory Goyle. "What the hell are you talking about?" He frowned and placed the mug of coffee down on the table. "And don't speak to me like I'm your bloody inferior Goyle."

Goyle shrugged. "My father tells me a lot of the things that go on during those meetings, Draco. Some of the stuff might seem natural to him, but it strikes me as suspicious. Like why you wouldn't kill that Mudblood whom your Aunt captured weeks before coming back to school. Very out of character for you."

Well this was clearly unexpected. He knew that Goyle was the brighter of the two when he placed him and Crabbe in the same room. He just never expected to witness the bloke come at him like this. "What are you insinuating?" Draco's voice was low and scathing.

"That perhaps your loyalty to the Dark Lord isn't as deep as you make it to be." He shrugged again and slipped from the seat beside Draco.

"What?" Draco's hand flickered to his wand. "How dare you suggest anything but-"

"Look I'm only telling you what others are taking note of." With that he reached into his pocket and removed a folded copy of tabloid magazine The Quibbler. "And the way you've been treating Pansy and the others are only confirming such suspicions. Most buy it as rubbish because Pansy was mentioned, but…" Without another word Goyle dropped the magazine on the table and walked over towards Pansy and Crabbe.

Draco just stared absentmindedly at the colorful piece of crap in front of him. What the hell was Goyle getting on about? Draco knew he hadn't been acting in the typical Malfoy fashion as of lately, but where did he get off speaking of his loyalties? He cursed under his breath. Was it really becoming that obvious? Grabbing the magazine Malfoy flipped open one of the pages and let out a short curt laugh. This thing was a joke. What the hell could Goyle mean by giving it to him?

Lifting the coffee again to his lips, Draco took a small sip and began flipping through bits of the magazine. Most of it spoke of nonsense. An article popped up about Double- Gilled Whirples and there was an entire spread on the sodding Boy Who Bloody Lived. Malfoy scowled and flipped to the next page only to find himself spilling the entire contents of his coffee upon the magazine.

_The Truth Behind Young Purebloods_

_By: X. Lovegood_

_It is quite unnatural to believe that You-Know-Who has the power to control every mind he encounters. Wizards and Witches today are lucky enough to relish in the presence of a boy who has once defeated the dark wizard. It is from the strength and ambition of this young boy, the Chosen One, that many young students find themselves impenetrable when it comes to You-Know-Who. Studies have shown less fear amongst young students along the lines of Hogwarts. Two years ago it was five teenagers who infiltrated the Department of Mysteries and stopped Death Eaters and You-Know-Who from triumph._

_With these great children taking stand it is likely that many other troubled children will find refuge under the eyes of the Order of the Phoenix. Pureblood children in London, the very children of You-Know-Who supporters, have begun to turn their tides and trust. How is it that young Malfoy resides in Hogwarts after last terms escapades? Sources tell us that repent, and much of it, landed him in the sanctuary of the school. Others such as Theodore Nott and the young Parkinson have cut ties with dark wizards completely. Could it be the beginning of a new era? Will the children of Death Eaters stand against their parents?_

_Turn yourself into the next edition of The Quibbler when we speak directly with one of the Pureblood children themselves!_

Draco felt his stomach clench in fury. How dare that Mudblood loving wanker spread such crap about him? His head shot up and he scanned the room for the blonde wispy figure of Lovegood. The Ravenclaw table was speckled with only a few individuals, and he cursed. Folding the magazine in half Draco pushed himself from the table and began gathering his things. As he did this he caught a glimpse of burgundy hair whipping out the door. His teeth grit together. Weasley hung around with that Lovegood girl. Perhaps she would have some idea where the Ravenclaw was. He took a few steps and then paused in his tracks.

Would she even be willing to listen to him after the previous evening? Draco's eyes flickered toward his hand and he scowled. Physical harm had become so second natured to him, but the mere thought of it now made him ill. He had been up most of the night mulling over his actions. He knew she'd be livid with him. Not that it would change anything. They despised each other anyway. This was only something to add to that family feud. He cursed again, and a tiny first year Hufflepuff glanced up at him with wide eyes.

"It would do you good to just walk away quickly." He mumbled, and couldn't deny the smirk that rose when the kid took off at full speed towards his table.

Sucking in a deep breath Draco stormed out of the Great Hall and out towards the grounds. He had a free period at the moment, and needed to get some air. He'd search for Lovegood later when there was less of a chance she'd be with the Weasel. The thought of spending detention with her again made his stomach turn slightly. The unfamiliar thing was that the feeling in his stomach was less of disgust and more nervousness. It was almost like he anticipated the detention just to see how she would be treating him. He did after all clear her side of the Storeroom to make up for slapping her. That had to be taken into account somewhat, right?

"Are you serious?" He ran his hand up the side of his face and let it press to the right temple. "She's a worthless Bloodtraitor. Who cares what she thinks. I'm a Malfoy for bloody sakes." Removing his wand from his pocket, Malfoy pointed it towards the castle which was now at his back. "Accio broom."

His feet moved effortlessly over towards the pitch. A few good rounds on his broom would surely clear his mind. The slight whizzing noise began to grow louder, and he turned just in time to see his broom shoot across the grass and towards his hand. He grabbed it with his free hand and placed his wand back into his pocket. The schoolbag he had brought with him hit lightly against his leg. Inside was the ridiculous magazine, and he growled again at the mere idea that people were actually out there reading such rubbish.

Positioning the broom in front of him, Draco swung his leg over and kicked off the ground. The wind immediately pushed his hair back out of his eyes and whipped him wildly in the face. Freedom. It was unnatural to feel so free when inside his body ached of slavery. That's what it had felt like the night he returned with Snape. Slavery. It never really occurred to him how lifeless his father had become over the years. It seemed positively normal for most of the older Death Eaters to take orders from the Dark Lord. He was after all the most powerful wizard known to the wizarding community. It took only last year for him to realize that everything his father put on in front of his was a sodding façade. He spoke of power that he did not possess. The Dark Lord held the power. He spoke of riches that could buy the world. Rich was Lucius, but only because the Dark Lord allowed him to be. His father spoke of loyalty and the greater good. The Dark Lord cared less about loyalty and even less about the so called greater good. All he wanted was minions to play with, and people to fear him. Great good? Bah. Everything his father had told him in the past had been nothing but a sugar coated lie.

When the Dark Lordl earned that Snape had been the one to complete the task set Draco had been punished. Not only physically but mentally. He was forced to do things against his will, and forced to endure pain so horrible that he was bed ridden for nearly a month. Slavery. The Death Eaters were slaves and failed to even realize it. His parents had slowly begun to come to this realization when Draco was injured. His mother for instance had told him that he would be best off going back to school to keep away from the Dark Lord. Draco had planned on staying home this term, but followed his mother's orders. His father had even seemed skeptical over the new plans to foil Potter. Perhaps they were ready to break free of the chains that had not been placed to tightly around Draco. He still had a chance to escape.

Freedom. Life was good when it felt free and undisturbed. Sure he still valued his reputation. What Slytherin wouldn't? He had been the mighty force to reckon with throughout his entire time at the school. But who was to say he couldn't keep up that façade and still eliminate himself from the workings of the Death Eaters?

Draco began heading towards the pitch, but hesitated at the last second. He needed a little more seclusion to think. Drifting off to the right Draco pushed his broom past Hagrids hovel and off towards the far end of the forest. Along the edge of the trees he began to lower himself and found the small patch of trees that bent together. With their trunks curved and their branches hanging low the trees created a small little cove right along the forest edge and the far corner of the lake. Beneath the canopy of leaves Draco entered with his broom and walked along the small area of water. He liked this place. It was far away from everyone inside the walls of the school, and only one other person knew it existed. He had taken Pansy there twice last year for a very brief snogging session. It was then he realized she was utterly insane and began avoiding her like mad.

Dropping his broom to the ground Draco cursed again and flung himself down on the damp ground. How was he going to clear his name? After Potter's interview the Quibbler had gained more respect than usual, and with his name strewn across it like some bloody savior he was likely to be punished again by the Dark Lord. He hoped that with the other names mentioned it would come across as nothing but a piece of pure crap. He couldn't imagine many people opening up the pages of the magazine and actually believing that he was on the verge of redeeming himself. About half the students at the school wanted him dead for all the foul things he had done in the past. They knew his family was affiliated with the Dark Arts. The crap Lovegood published only made him sound more batty then his daughter.

"Shit!"

"That's not exactly the greeting I was expecting." Pansy parted the opening to the little alcove and smirked.

Draco groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Did you follow me out here?"

She snorted back a laugh. "Obviously." Walking to where he was, Pansy sighed and dropped down next to him. "Goyle said he showed you the magazine." She didn't wait for him to reply. "Don't you see what this means, Draco? We need to save face before people actually start thinking that we are pushovers. I mean honestly…deny the Dark Mark?" She laughed bitterly. "Like I'd suddenly change my views on Bloodtraitors and Mudbloods."

Draco didn't say anything on the subject. Instead he just shrugged and picked at a few blades of grass. "Didn't you catch the hint earlier? I don't want to do this anymore Pansy. We are through. You need to stop coming after me like some sad dog trying to find its way home. It's pathetic."

Choosing to ignore this, Pansy folded her hands in her lap and licked her lower lip. "I know you've been a bit cranky lately, but I think I know why." She grinned and sat up a bit straighter, "I know you didn't really achieve what you were supposed to last term. My father informed me of your deed and how Snape was the one who actually performed it. I think you are just in a slump and need to redeem yourself with something bigger…something no one else has done yet." Her eyes lit up with unnatural excitement.

He quirked a brow. "What are you getting at?"

She leaned forward as though someone else may overhear them. "We get hold of one of those traitors. One that would surely bring Potter out of hiding for awhile." She smirked. "All we need then is have him learn of it before he comes riding into town like the bloody hero again. Personally…I'd like to take that Weasley girl, but the things she does with a wand…" Pansy cringed.

For some reason Draco found himself smirking. He knew what it was like to be on the end of Weasley's wand. "This is quite stupid, Pansy."

"I want Longbottom."

"What?"

"I want to take out that round faced twit Longbottom." She scoffed. "He can't brandish a wand at all. Taking him would be like taking a chocolate frog from an infant. We hand deliver him to the Dark Lord and then we can take our rightful place."

Rightful place. The words made him snort back another laugh. Pansy really was a fool.

"I'm not saying the idea is poor…because in all honesty I think you are right for once. Stupid Potter would come out of hiding to save the bloody day, but…" He shook his head, "you can't plan to kidnap anyone while there members of the Order present at school. Do you honestly think that people such as Longbottom gallivant through vacant corridors alone?" He had found the Weaselette alone, but like Pansy had admitted, no one would touch her. "Longbottom is too risky…too unpredictable. His hexing is so erratic I'd be worried he'd actually hit me with something." Draco stood from the ground. "I'm afraid you are alone on this one Pansy." Not to mention he never wanted to spend extra time with her.

"Fine. Go off and let the stupid tabloids slander your name. I will not be made a fool of in front of the entire school." She slapped her hands down against her thighs.

His fingers clamped down over the shaft of his broom. He couldn't stand to be there another moment with her. Striding across the small area he parted the trees and made his way back out into the sunlight. Scratch the thought of spending time alone in his favorite place. Maybe it would have been better for him to find the Lovegood girl. At least then he wouldn't have listened to Pansy's asinine ideas.

He reached the library without so much as one encounter from a person he wasn't keen on seeing. That was a change. It seemed like the last two days had been infiltrated with run ins with people he hated. This was a much needed change. At once he scanned the area for long blonde hair, but failed to find one single strand of Lovegood's mangled locks. Maybe she was at one of the tables located towards the back of the library. He moved. A few students were sitting at a table going over Charms work when he slipped by them. They shot him a confused look, but continued studying while throwing casual glances in his direction. Malfoy wasn't one to frequent the library so he wasn't actually surprised by their actions. He slipped down one of the aisles and leaned against the shelves. At this moment the only thing that would make him happy was hexing the hell out of that loony Ravenclaw.

"Could I borrow that?"

He had thought the voice behind him was directed at him so he spun around to retort. Instead he was facing a row of books. Narrowing his eyes, Draco leaned forward and listened again.

"You can have it. Read it already and to be honest nothing new or exciting was in there."

Reaching out in front of him Draco pushed aside one of the large books. Over on the other side of the shelf the read headed Weaselette was taking a folded item from the hands of a tall lanky brunette. He watched her as she grinned in thanks and unfolded the small item in her hands. The Quibbler. Why the hell was that sodding magazine circulating the corridors like rapid fire?

With interest he watched her flip through the pages, every now and then chuckling at the contents on the page. Draco wondered what she was looking at, and dropped his gaze towards the magazine only once. He couldn't make out a single word if he wanted to. The angle she was holding the magazine, and the angle of the books he was looking through made it impossible.

"What are you doing?" So startled by the voice, Draco bumped forward into the shelf and sent a whole row of books to the floor. Blaise was standing at his side with a very puzzled expression on his face.

" Zabini!" He clutched the end of the shelf with his right hand.

"Malfoy?" Ginny's face had appeared through the now large gap where the books had just been.

"Weaselette." He spat back only to receive a scowl from her.

"Insufferable little prats!" Madam Pince rounded the corner. "Out!" She pointed at Blaise and Draco, and then over at Ginny. "Now!"

"But I-" Blaise stepped up only to trip over one of the books.

"But he!" Ginny pointed through the gap straight at Malfoy's chest.

"But she-" Malfoy made to point at Ginny, but the face she gave him caused him to step back instead. She really did look frightening when she was angry enough.

"But I don't care! All of you- Out!" And with that the books began shuffling back in onto the shelf, and the three of them scuffled out of the library with Pince at their heels.

"This is all your fault!" Draco and Ginny turned on each other as soon as they reached the corridor. They yelled in unison. Zabini remained quiet though looked mildly interested at the display. "No its not!" She punched Malfoy square in the arm.

"Oh shut it you filthy little brat." Zabini motioned for Ginny to leave, and with the Quibbler still clutched in her hand she glared only at Malfoy and then took off down the corridor screaming the entire way.

Malfoy just watched her retreating back as Blaise mumbled on about something he didn't really care about. Had she read the article? Would she read it? More importantly would she believe it? The looming thought of detention came upon him like a sudden wave. Suddenly detention couldn't come fast enough. He needed to see her and set things straight. She was a sodding little bugger, but he had to admit she did have a wicked temper that was somehow _almost_ alluring.

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This chapter contains lyrics from **Trust Me **by **The Fray**

Once again I thank you for taking the time out to read the story. Please take a moment and hit up the **REVIEW** button. I surely appreciate it.

Next chapter will have a load of Ginny and Draco moments! Tee-hee!


	5. Everybody's Changing

I love my reviews, and I love all the private message notes. You guys kick ass! This chapter is dedicated to:

marinka & nutmeg44;  I love your honesty and true comments. Thanks so much for being loyal thus far. Here is the next chapter...

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_Xx Everybody's changing_

_And I don't know why_

_So little time_

_Try to understand that I'm_

_Trying to make a move just to stay in the game_

_I try to stay awake and remember my name_

_But everybody's changing_

_And I don't feel the same xX_

**Chapter 5**

She was infuriated to say the very least. Who was Malfoy to accuse her of anything? He had been the one to knock into the shelf! He had been the one who knowingly knocked the books to the floor! And he had been the one to get them kicked out of the library! All she was trying to do was get an issue of the stupid Quibbler. She paused and looked down in her hand. The folded copy of the magazine was clutched tightly in her hand. She had snagged a copy after all. Hell she had read some of the articles! The smile twitched back to Ginny's lips and she stole into the first open classroom she could find. It was just nearing lunchtime now so most students wouldn't be occupying the corridor. Personally she could skip lunch if she wanted to. She wasn't very hungry, and since the Carrows had missed breakfast she was certain they would be there for lunch. It was bad enough she was going to have to endure one of them this afternoon for classes. She could do without seeing them twice in one day.

Making sure the coast was clear Ginny closed the door behind her and moved towards the back of the classroom. There was enough sun coming in from the windows that she didn't need to light the room or use her wand. Her bottom found one of the seats and she eagerly opened the magazine and began looking for the place she had left off from the library. There were two articles on Harry present in the issue. One was praising his retaliation from the Ministry, and another was a list of all the greatest feats he had performed while stuck in school. The Chosen One. Ginny couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at the thought. If any of these people knew Harry like she did they would easily know that Harry hated these titles. More than that he hated being the center of attention. But he did it anyway. Harry was always there to save the world from every dark thing imaginable. Ginny only wished she could have been there at his side to help.

She sighed and flipped the page again. Didn't he trust her judgment? Didn't he understand what a great dueler she was? It was like all those things he had praised her for in the past were pushed aside once they started dating. Oh it was the noble thing to do of course. Ginny admired that about him. Yet she also hated the way everyone treated her as some sort of child. This was a time of war not time to lock her away in some playpen and expect her to be sheltered.

"Bloody gits."

Her eyes flickered over the page, and landed on what she had first assumed to be another lame article on the war. It was towards the bottom of the page that her breath hitched in her throat. Her hands moved so rapidly that she torn the corner of the page. She must have read it wrong.

She read it again and felt the same hitch in the back of her throat. There was just no way that this made it into magazine without the Malfoy's throwing a fit! Not only was Draco mentioned, but Parkinson and Nott had made the article as well. Ginny read through it several times before placing it down and rubbing her temples. Was this the reason Malfoy had looked so miffed in the library? If that was the case was he angry because it was a lie, or was he angry because-

"This is stupid."

She closed the magazine and tossed it in a nearby trash bin that was sitting against the wall. Had Malfoy really fled the Death Eaters? She had to admit he did look awfully different this term. There certainly was something different…

"Yeah he's an attempted murderer." She reminded herself silently though the thought of Malfoy redeeming his ways sat at the forefront of her mind.

The only thing that made the article somewhat questionable was the mention of the two other Slytherins. Parkinson staking claim to the good side of the war was like asking Ron to jump around in a vat of spiders. It just didn't happen. And Nott. Well Nott was the biggest prat on the face of the earth. Granted he wasn't half as bad as the blonde haired git.

Then again it was Malfoy who had mended the wound on her cheek after the welcoming feast. It was Malfoy who had stepped in to the compartment and fixed her up after her head collided with the window. It had very much been Malfoy who stayed behind after detention and finished her section of the storeroom. He head spun with even more questions. What was going on with her? It was Malfoy for Merlins sake! He had hit her for Merlins sake! Not to mention his own father had back handed her in her very own house.

Why was she trying so hard to find truth behind the article? Every single thing that Luna's father had placed in that piece of work was rubbish. It was the reason Malfoy was acting so wonky. He was probably just angry that someone like Mr. Lovegood would spread such heinous things about him.

But what if-

Leaning back into her chair Ginny closed her eyes and let out a groan. What would Ron or he family think if they knew she was trying to justify Draco Malfoy? What was worse was the though of Harry's reaction. Harry loathed Malfoy even more then she did, and that should have been enough icing on the cake to let the whole thing go. But she was a Weasley! Curiosity ran like wildfire through her blood. Her Mum had always said she was a spot on for Fred and George. Her high interest in curious things was always getting her into trouble, and she had a very good feeling that this sudden discovery was going to get her into a heap of it.

Suddenly retching her from her closed thoughts a voice sounded just outside the door, and Ginny snapped her eyes open. Someone sounded very angry and was just beyond the wooden door. Holding her breath she slipped from the seat and crawled across the way towards the door. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest as she neared it. All she needed was to get caught out of the Great Hall.

The voices were louder now, and she could make out a male and female conversation. They weren't students. Both voices were elder and strained. At first she had assumed it was the Carrow idiots looking for students to punish while roaming the halls. Upon further listening she realized it wasn't the Carrows at all.

"Listen Snape" Bellatrix Lestrange hissed, "It needs to be done immediately. The Dark Lord has told me twice already."

"I know Bellatrix." Came the drawled out voice of Severus Snape. "The Dark Lord has also informed me. Just because Headquarters is at your residence does not mean that he has left me dry of information. The Dark Lord has been more than willing to keep me abreast."

Ginny pressed her ear harder against the door. What was Bellatrix Lestrange doing in the castle? Furthermore why did she sound so desperate? It was very unlike the woman to sound so out of control. Had something gone amiss within the group of Death Eaters? It wouldn't be the first time they screwed things up. Hell, last time they had been hoodwinked by a group of teenagers. If she could hear something incriminating, anything at all, she could send word to Harry and the others. Perhaps they'd realize she'd be help after all and come rescue her from the horrid term she was already having.

"Well then you should heed his word Snape and get it done. We need it -" Bellatrix paused and turned her attention to the door. "You are quite sure we are alone?"

Ginny felt her heart stop beating. Literally. An icy sweat had formed along her brow line, and she pressed herself back against the wall. It had been frightening enough to be at the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand once. The memories from the Minsitry fiasco still loomed in the back of her head. Now to be on the receiving end when there would be no one to come save her, well that wasn't a comforting feeling at all. She held her breath as the doorknob turned slightly. Bellatrix stuck her head in the room, and Ginny waited for the curses to come. She was right in eyesight. There was no way for Bellatrix to overlook her despite the darkness in the room.

"Would you feel more secure speaking in my office then?" Snape questioned which caused the dark eyed woman to turn her head back towards the lanky man.

Ginny still held her breath as if waiting for Bellatrix to turn on her without word and kill her. But it never came. Instead Bellatrix slammed the door shut and sneered loud enough that Ginny felt as though her face was positioned right beside the wild looking woman.

"Office." She scoffed again, but began moving along the corridor. "The only reason you have an office at all is because the Dark Lord gave you this position. It still does not mean-"

Their footsteps moved away from the door, and Ginny waited until the echoed noise in the corridor died down before letting out her held breath. How could she be so utterly stupid? Wandering around the castle when she should have been at lunch! It was a wonder that she hadn't been on the receiving end of some awful punishment. Ginny was one to test the limits of things, but this feeling of fear was growing tiresome.

Pushing herself up from the floor she waited a few more minutes before grabbing the doorknob. Instead of meeting an empty corridor Ginny opened the door to find two watery orbed eyes staring back at her. She screamed and stumbled back into the classroom.

"Luna!" Her hand clutched tightly over her heart as the blonde haired Ravenclaw waltzed into the room.

"I saw you come in here earlier." She looked around the room observing the place. "I was going to come in after you, but I saw Professor Snape and that Death Eater woman come down from the other way."

"Well you gave me a fright." She gasped for air and waited to return her breathing to a normal pattern. "What are you doing this way anyway? Shouldn't you be at lunch?"

Luna shrugged. "Oh well…I wasn't very hungry. Not with the way things have been going." She twirled her butter beer cork necklace in her fingers. "My Dad says that he thinks Inferi are going to start wandering the corridors to keep up in line." Her wide eyes, if at all possible, became wider.

"Ginny pushed her hair out of her face and began moving with Luna towards the door. "Speaking of your father Luna" she chose to ignore the Inferi comment all together, " I just read his latest Quibbler issue."

"Yes it was a rather good one I thought." She stared dreamily across the way and followed Ginny out into the corridor. "He's been working hard getting people to believe Harry. I think it's been working a bit."

Ginny turned the corner of a corridor with her while being careful to chose her words. "Well that's what I wanted to speak with you about actually." Her hands flew up to her hand and Ginny began twirling a small piece within her fingertips. "Your father wrote an article on…on Death Eaters…their children particularly." She whispered it so softly that it was barely audible.

Luna began to nod slowly at this. "Well Dad got word from someone who said that Death Eaters were beginning to turn. I suppose that it was bound to happen. I mean You-Know-Who couldn't have expected everyone to keep believing in him…not with Harry around." She smiled. "How is Harry?"

Ginny swallowed hard at this. She wondered how Harry was doing every single second of every day. "Don't know really. Been trying to get things together here to help him out though." And then it occurred to her. "Have you spoken to Neville today?"

This brought Luna's face into a mad-like state "Oh yes. He told me everything you spoke about. I missed the D.A. so very much. It will be nice to get it together again and help the school."

Ginny led Luna down another flight of stairs and away from the main corridors. "Look Luna I have class in a bit, but before I go I just want to know something." She took a breath. Why the bloody hell was she doing this she would never in a million years find the answers, " How certain is your father with these articles? I mean those are some pretty bold statements he has made about…well you know."

It didn't occur to Ginny how vague her question really was until Luna scrunched her nose slightly. Ginny opened her mouth again to rephrase it when Luna received a very unusual look in her eyes.

"No one is always one hundred percent right you know. I mean its really hard to prove a lot of the things he writes about, but it doesn't mean they aren't true…or real. I think your best bet it to ask the person what you are thinking." She smiled almost too knowingly.

Ginny felt incredibly exposed. "I never said that-"

"I think I'm going to go study some. I look forward to helping with the DA Ginny." With that quirky little smile of hers, Luna turned down the adjacent corridor and skipped back towards the staircase that would eventually lead to the library.

Ginny stood there dumbfounded. Sometimes Luna was the smartest witch Ginny had ever encountered. She pressed her back against the wall and watched a group of small first year Hufflepuffs shuffle by her. Something very strange was going on inside the walls of Hogwarts. Bellatrix Lestrange was ordering Snape to do something that sounded quite important. Malfoy's name was being slandered in the Quibbler and yet instead of proving himself to be the same old prat he had helped her. Three times now. And the most unusual thing of all was the burning question going on inside of her head. Had he really given up on the Dark Arts?

Ginny didn't really know the answers, but she intended to find them out. Harry, Ron and Hermione may have been out on some heroic adventure outside the walls of Hogwarts, but inside she was discovering a mystery all her own.

His day had gone completely down the drain after the library incident. Somehow he managed to convince most of his house that the article was utter rubbish, but a large handful had said that he had gone too soft. He had actually come to blows with a fourth year wanker who called him a wash up. With others he confronted it was helpful enough that Pansy was mentioned in the article.

Goyle had been right in that respect. Most of his fellow housemates, and the Carrows, believed that it was just an attempt to discredit some of the more prominent families. Draco had once again played the face of a liar, but it came at a cost. His temper had teetered on the edge of explosion. He had always been a decent liar, but it was growing exceedingly difficult to harbor all of the mixed emotion going on inside his head. He had almost exploded in the middle of the common room for a second time after dinner. For a minute he wondered what would happen if he just let it all out.

It was maddening.

Draco Malfoy never once in his entire life felt so out of control. Every year he had managed to keep some sort of upper hand, but this term was proving difficult. He hated it. He hated trying to prove himself every second of the day to his Slytherin classmates. It was almost as if they were trying to prove him differently. Millicent Bullstrode had even accused him of becoming a Mudblood lover over the summer. Now as much as he had felt changes occur in him he would never in a million years become one of those filthy muggle lovers. That was the Weasley's job.

He sneered at the thought of Weasley. She had taken off down the corridor with that blasted magazine in her hands. By now she would have read it. By now she would have decided whether or not she believed it. A vein pulsed in the side of his neck. Anger was an emotion that was common to him, but not the type of anger he was currently feeling. Between the magazine, his indecisive thoughts, Snape, detention, and the thought of the Dark Lord so close to his mother, Draco felt bursts of anger because he felt one thing he wasn't used to. He felt helpless. He even felt guilty. If he had avoided the situation last term Dumbledore would still be alive, and the chance of death for his family wouldn't be looming over him.

"You are going to be late, Mr. Malfoy." The voice startled him, but Draco didn't have to look up to know that it was Snape who was standing there.

"I'm on my way now." He retorted bluntly to Snape who was now leering over him. Draco made to pass by him without another word when Snape grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I trust you have plenty of time to think of things while serving your detention?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't want to send you to another sort of punishment. I doubt your father would be pleased."

There was a hint of something else in Snape's voice, but Draco cast it aside. "You stuck me with a Weasley. The only thing I'm thinking of is how to control myself from killing the twit." He tugged himself away. "And I'd prefer it if you'd keep these moments of advice to a minimum. I don't need your blasted meddling hand in anything this year."

He was sure Snape was about to say something else, but Draco slipped down a side staircase to avoid it. After all he did have that stupid detention to serve. Maybe the Weasel wouldn't show her face? Even if he did take the time to fix her shelf he still didn't want to share a detention with her. He turned the corridor and made his way down the staircase that lead to the dungeons.

It wasn't like he organized it for her because he liked her. He despised her. It was just that the guilt he had been feeling for everything else had mixed in with what he had felt after he hit her. Any other moment of the day he probably would have left her side the way it was. Hell, it wasn't his problem that she worked so bloody slow.

He paused outside the door to the storeroom. The vein in the side of his neck was still throbbing. His hand reached out for the doorknob and just as he had expected the redheaded Gryffindor was already in the room.

He quirked a brow, "What the hell are you doing?" He was not in the mood to be in the room with a Weasel. Not now. Not after having such a damn god awful day. He was tempted to back right out of the room and leave her there, but something was forcing him to stay. It was almost as though he wanted to fight with her. Perhaps blowing off a little bit of steam on Potter's little girl toy would ease the tension in his shoulders.

She was coming down the ladder with a tight smirk pressed to her lips. "I finished the last few on your shelf…but please hold the gratitude." She mumbled under her breath as she paused on the last step of the ladder. " You great ungrateful prat."

"No one asked you to finish it for me." he slammed the door behind him and the shelves shook slightly.

Ginny frowned. "Do you even have one bone in your body that isn't an insufferable arse?" She stepped away from the ladder, her hair swinging wildly behind her, and dropped to a bag on the floor.

"Not really" He felt that temper rising again, and he marched towards the ladder so he could start his second shelf.

Ginny's fingers fumbled through her bag and she yanked out the copy of the Quibbler. "I read this." She threw the copy at his back and grinned as it hit him square in the back of the head. With a sigh she slipped over towards her next work station. "So tell me…does it feel nice to finally be mentioned in an article? Are you finally achieving that level of Potter fame you desire so damn desperately?" This wasn't going at all as she planned. She wanted to actually be civil to him when he arrived. She had figured if she tried to keep her temper now she could ask him about the article. Perhaps try and get the truth out of him, but he had waltzed into the Storeroom like some bloody prince. Who the hell did he think he was?

He spun around, his eyes dropping to the magazine that was now on the floor. "Shut your filthy Mudblood loving mouth." Leaning over he picked up The Quibbler and scanned the cover. "I could give a flying bloody day in hell if I'm in this stupid waste of parchment." He threw it back at her causing her to narrow her eyes. "Your pathetic attempts to throw Potter in my face are really old Weasel."

"Oh Please!" She practically screamed, her hands pushing her up to her feet. Was it possible for them to go two minutes without wanting to rip each others heads off? "You envy everything there is about Harry."

A cold disgusted look crossed his features. "Right. Cause I really desire dead parents and a bunch of Mudbloods for friends. Not to mention the most slim chance of survival against the Dark Lord."

Ginny whipped out her wand. "What the hell is your problem Malfoy? How can you be so sodding horrible all the time? You make me sick! Everything about you is a blasted joke! And to think-" She threw her hands up in the air. " I was going to try and be civil towards you tonight. I was going to try and keep myself from wanting to kill you. I was going to thank you for what you did with this shelf " She kicked the door behind her.

" And all you can do is wish death and horrible things on people just because you can't get over the fact that you are not a bloody god!" She stepped across the storeroom so that she was practically inches from him. "You are not a hero Malfoy…you are pitiable fool who will never EVER be-"

"Do you think I want to be like this?" He was yelling now. The final sane part inside his head had snapped. "Do you think it's easy for me to come back to this place after everything that happened last term? After everything that is happening now? Stop pretending like you know everything."

"I'm not pretending!" She was yelling back at the top of her lungs, her hangs flailing around her head wildly. "I know what you are Malfoy! A terrified murderous git! You hate people that are different from you because you are jealous that they have family and friends! You hate Muggleborns because you are too thick headed to believe that there is more to people then just their blood. You hate my family because you will never have the sort of love my family has for one another! You hate- "

"I hate myself! I went on for an entire year afraid that my mother was going to be murdered by the hand of the Dark Lord unless I killed that Mudblood lover Dumbeldore! I was afraid that if I didn't do it he would kill me! He said he would destroy my family! He would take away everything that I had! So don't stand there and preach to me about what I am envious of Weasel. Don't stand there and make accusations on bravery and heroic acts. I did things to protect my family because if I didn't we'd all be dead. How many times has precious Potter made that choice? Murder or be murdered…" He was seething, but it hadn't even occurred to him what he had said until he saw her jaw slightly slack.

There was an awkward silence shared between them. Draco stared into her chocolate brown eyes, and Ginny couldn't rip herself away from his lifeless silvery blue ones. Was this what it felt like to be punched repeatedly in the stomach? He wanted to take out his wand and hex her right there. He had gone and spilled things that he hadn't even admitted to his own damn father. Yet he had lost his temper and let it hit the ears of the biggest blood traitor of them all.

"I- well you- it's not-" Ginny had only been left speechless twice in her entire life. The first time was in her first year when she had dashed down her stairs in a dressing gown to find the infamous Harry Potter at her kitchen table. The second had been when Harry had kissed her after the Quidditch match last term. This was the third time.

Malfoy spun silently on his heel and stormed up the ladder without another word. He had already said enough. He was afraid what would come out next if he opened his mouth again.

_To a Bloodtraitor! Of all people! _The vein in his neck pulsed again and he began to organize the next shelf frantically. Perhaps if he didn't speak to her for the rest of the night she would forget that it even happened.

"Malfoy…" Her voice was tiny now, but he continued to work diligently. " Malfoy look I didn't know. But if you had first gone to Dumbledore…"

"A little late for that now don't you think?" He didn't dare turn around to look at her. There was probably a triumphant glitter in her eye, and he didn't want to give her that satisfaction. "Drop it, Weasley."

"You had a choice you know." She continued on while not caring whether or not he lost it again. These were the things that got her into trouble.

"I made a choice, and obviously you can now see the outcome. Now I said drop it before I really follow through with what I was supposed to do to Dumbledore." He heard a sniff come from her. Was she crying? Out of the corner of his eye he cast a glance down at her and sure enough he saw her wipe her face. A Weasel was crying over him? Now that was downright laughable. In fact he stifled a sick chuckle.

Ginny sat back down on the Storeroom floor trying her best to keep her composure. She wasn't even sure why she was crying. Perhaps the mixture of his words and the thought of her own family made her break down. It was like months of pent up worry over her own parents, family and friends came storming out of her. What he had said had probably been the most selfless thing that had even come from his mouth. Malfoy was a jerk. A big selfish jealous prat, and yet he had risked his own body and soul to do keep his parents alive. Wasn't that worth something? She sniffed back a few tears again. Oh what the wizarding community would think if they knew she was shedding tears over Draco Malfoy's words.

"Did you believe it?" His voice was very monotone. To Ginny it seemed like he was trying too hard to not sound concerned for her answer. "The article?"

She shrugged, but didn't look up at him. "Sort of. Kind of… well not really no…but a bit at first." Sliding two of the vials over she sighed. "I mean you go around for seven years belittling my family and my friends….what was I supposed to think?"

Then Draco Malfoy did something that he had promised himself he would never do. He dropped his head in defeat. "I'm not telling you this because I like you. In fact I still loathe everything you and your precious muggle loving kind stand for…" His hands clutched tightly to the sides of the ladder and he began to lower himself. "I couldn't kill him. I wouldn't have killed him…I just-" He broke off to stop himself from getting choked up Malfoy's did not get choked up.

"I don't like you either you great prat." She paused and listened to the rest of his words. Merlin's beard. This had to be some sort of sick dream. "He could have helped you, ya know. Dumbledore I mean."

"No…no he really couldn't. The Dark Lord would have killed them. He would have slowly murdered my parents and forced me to watch it. Or worse…" His feet found the floor again. " He would have forced me to do it. You don't understand. No one really does. You get in so far…and then you can't-" Suddenly his eyes lit up and he was advancing on her. "You will not tell a single person about this, Weasely. Not a single bloody Gryffindor." His wand was out and he pressed it into her side.

"Even if I did tell someone…." She swatted at the wand. "You think they would actually believe me?" She strained a laugh which caused him to blink in confusion. Apparently no one had ever laughed in front of him. At least not normally. "And would you stop sticking that in my side. Merlin Malfoy I won't tell your precious bloody secrets. Besides" She smirked, " I like having something to hold over your head."

Draco sneered, "You think your attempts to blackmail me with this will work? Good luck. No one blackmails a Malfoy."

"I just did."

He put his wand back into his pocket. "Don't get your hopes up, Weasel. This shared civility is a fluke. Tomorrow we are going to pretend that none of this happened. We are going to continue with this detention as though I said absolutely nothing. I continue to despise you, and you continue pretend you don't wish you had my good looks or money."

"You do know at this rate we are never going to finish this Storeroom. We can't keep fighting and storming out. Slughorn will start to notice." She picked up her bag from the spot on the floor.

"I'm really warning you, Weasley. Not one word or I will be forced to do something drastic. I may not have been able to do it last term" There was a hitch in his throat. Merlin the guilt continued to eat at him. " … but when it comes to my mothers protection…"

"Unlike you slimy Slytherins we Gryffindors can actually keep our word." She folded her arms across her chest. "And quit calling me Weasely…and Weaselette. I have a bloody name."

"I told you…this doesn't change things between us. I'll call you Weasely till the day I die." He never really noticed how short she was until he looked down at her right at that moment. She really was an awfully tiny thing. Her robes were far too big for her small frame, and her hair was wild and out of control. She looked like a deranged fire.

Ginny shook her head. "You've got a lot of things to learn, Malfoy"

"Right." He scoffed and then turned his back to sit on one of the crates that had been pushed to the center of the room. He needed to sit. Suddenly he felt incredibly exposed, and to Ginevra Weasley nonetheless.

"You know Draco…" She placed her hand down on his shoulder. He tensed beneath her touch, but she did not remove her hand. He may have been a brooding git, but she was not scared of him. "Feeling guilty…admitting all this stuff…it doesn't make you weak despite what you think."

Beneath her fingertips he felt a burning sensation in his arm. He jerked his arm slightly to shake her off. He didn't not want a filthy little Bloodtraitor touching him. "Get off…"

She sighed, and pulled away. "like I said it doesn't make you weak." She was backing up against the wall, her hand turning the doorknob of the storeroom. "It just makes you human, and that is not such an awful trait." With that she slipped through the crack in the door and left him sitting there on the store crate.

Draco blinked but did not move. Human? She had called him human? Not even his own parents referred to him as human. He was the son of a Death Eater. The Malfoy name was associated with everything but humanity. He swallowed unsure of the sudden lump in the back of his throat. The youngest Weasel had just learned his greatest secret, and she had sworn she wouldn't tell. What did that mean? Wouldn't she be itching to go off and rat this all out to Potter? It made him nauseous to even think about it. He couldn't even admit half of this stuff to his friends and he had just spilled it all out to a righteous little redheaded brat.

Draco lowered his head down onto his knees and let out a very deep frustrated breath. As much as he hated her knowing the truth behind his actions he couldn't stop himself from thinking the same thing over and over again. This must have been what it felt like to have a friend even if it was a poor redheaded Bloodtraitor.

"Merlin's beard I need a drink."

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This chapter contained lyrics from **Everybody's Changing** by **Keane**.

Please leave a review! I really really REALLY would love some feedback!


	6. Matter of Time

I am so excited to post this chapter. It leads to a very important moment between Draco and Ginny. Please Review once you are through! Thanks lovlies!

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_Xx Put on that deserving tone_

_and don't forget that this was all your fault._

_It's breathing down your neck,_

_you know you've got to let this go._

_You're such a wreck and now it starts to show._

_Cause all you can't deny is held inside_

_And when we go, we say goodbye,_

_and then we run, we run away xX_

**Chapter 6**

**Matter of Time**

The following evening had gone off rather well despite the previous evening events. Draco had actually been somewhat cordial to Ginny unless you counted the three times he called her a blind sighted tart. Ginny had also found herself remaining fairly civil to the Slytherin Prince. She had only sneered once at his remarks, and even offered to help him fix his final shelf in the last row since she had finished her side relatively early. He had let her help without so much as one word of thanks, but he had not made any snippy remarks. To Ginny, this was practically thanks enough. Even after they gathered their belongings and left the storeroom Ginny was almost certain she heard a distinct mumble of '_Goodnight_' in her direction. Of course it could have been the unruly breeze wafting through the dungeons. She liked to think it was his voice. Though admitting that she liked to think this was making her sleep patterns very difficult.

So for another two weeks it went just the same. They showed up around six in the evening and worked on their shelves on opposite sides of the room. They didn't dare speak more then it was necessary to each other. Draco could have sworn he had witnessed her open her mouth on a few occasions to say something but she had closed it quickly again. He had not let another word about his family slip out to her. What was even worse was the sinking feeling he had developed since that very night. It was almost like something in the back of his head was ushering him to spill his deepest secrets to her. From what he understood she had indeed kept her promise. No one seemed to know a single thing that happened the night he had exploded. Not even her closest Gryffindor friends. He half expected to be pelted with questions and accusations by Longbottom the next day in Charms, but was surprised when the round faced prat merely walked by him and went right to his seat.

It was odd. They had both exchanged something so bloody huge to each other and yet neither of them spoke of it. Draco was not used to this. He never had anyone to exchange information with. He never even had any close friends. Sure Crabbe and Goyle were always around him, but they were more like brooding minions then actual living and breathing friends. Zabini had always come close to being something like a friend, but lately his relationship with Zabini was teetering on the edge of jagged rocks. He just couldn't stand to be around anyone, let alone trust them.

On the Tuesday three weeks after the explosion incident, Draco was sitting on the floor of the storeroom fixing some vials when the door opened and she walked in. There was something unusual in her step, and the normal blank stare in her eyes was replaced with curiosity and what looked like concern. Draco merely blinked up at her, and then choked back a snort.

"You look like crap, Weaselette. Someone die?" It was blunt but he didn't care. Just because he had told her personal things, by mistake no less, didn't mean he had to actually care about her. All she was to him was a fiery little pain in his arse.

Ginny winced at his sentence, but shrugged. There was a folded piece of parchment in her hands that she quickly shoved within the pocket of her robe. "No sorry…not dead." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Just an owl from home. It's getting worse out there." She dropped her gaze to the floor. "And I'd appreciate it if you could be a little more tactful when addressing the deceased. For all you know your parents could be on the receiving end of a nasty spell. _I_ wouldn't knock you down a few notches if that was the case."

He narrowed his eyes ready to lash out at her. How dare she even mention his parents! A filthy family like hers had no right to even mention the Malfoy name in passing. Yet he stopped himself. "I wasn't asking if anyone in your family was dead. Just curious as to what has your knickers in a twist."

For some reason Gunny blushed at this statement. "Nothing has my knickers in a twist, and please don't bring up any article of clothing I am wearing _EVER_ again!" The thought of Malfoy speaking of her knickers made her shudder in disgust. Still the tips of her ears began beaming fire red. They matched her hair in no time flat.

He had immediately noticed this and leaned back against the base of the ladder. "Aw has little bitty baby Weasley been embarrassed?" A smirk crossed his lips, "You could cook a full dinner on those things." He pointed to her bright read cheeks and ears.

Ginny grunted something that he couldn't make out and let her hand drop to the side of her robe. The crumbled piece of parchment sat comfortably there. "Sod off."

His eyes darted to the pocket she had placed the parchment in and he quirked a brow. It was a shame that curiosity always got the best of him. What was that saying? Curiosity killed the kneazle or something of the sort? Leaning forward and away from the ladder base, Draco managed to push himself up in one single swoop. Her dark chocolate eyes darted to the side of his face, and then back to his eyes. Draco had to admit that the color of her eyes were pretty. Very plain, but pretty.

"What was written in that parchment?" He folded his arms across his chest.

A bitter cough came out of her mouth, and she contorted her face in pure sarcasm. "Oh right let me whip it out and tell you." She coughed again, "Get off it, Malfoy."

Ginny turned to go back to her work but felt his hand latch on to her wrist. She whipped around so quickly that a sharp pain shot through her neck, and she cursed rather loudly. Her free hand moved up to press the soft fleshy area. She glared daggers at him. How dare he even put his hands on her! After he had hit her in the past no less! Almost as if he had realized this too Ginny felt the grip loosen and he finally dropped her arm. There was that unreadable expression on his face again, but this time behind the lifeless silvery eyes Ginny could make out the concern. He was worried about his parents. It was clearly evident. She knew that look because she felt it every second she walked through the corridors. Were they safe? Had the Death Eaters ransacked their house? Did they get Charlie or Bill? Was Fleur ok? Did Fred and George close the shop and go into hiding? Worse…had they managed to get Harry, Ron and Hermione yet?

Her mother's letter had been so brief that these questions lingered madly on her mind. With fumbling fingers Ginny reached into her pocket and let out a very irritated sigh. She could not believe she was doing this for the all time reigning supreme git.

"I just want to know-" His voice cut out and she nodded understandingly.

The parchment was only folded over once, and Draco could easily make out the flowery scrawl that must have belonged to the dumpy woman the Weasels referred to as mother. If only the woman had a little more dignity she would clean herself up like a respectable Pureblood. Malfoy had opened his mouth to say something about this when Ginny cleared her throat.

_Ginevra,_

_We are not even sure you will receive this. Most owl posts are being confiscated and destroyed before the recipient receives it. Your father and I hope all is well. Charlie has gone off. Bill and Fleur moved out last week. We wonder where- well yes- the rest of the family will be going._

_It is imperative you stay out of trouble. Thirteen muggle deaths over the hill in Ottery St. Catchpole this past week. Banding with a few 'members' soon. You-Know-Who's followers have been stopping by. One in particular has asked if we heard word from you. I expect your cheek is feeling better now._

_Till Christmas._

_Love From,_

_Mum and Dad_

She controlled herself from breaking down in front of him. Letting Malfoy see her cry over something as silly as a letter would only fuel his flame. Yet shouldn't she be given a free card to let it all out? Half her family was on the run. Her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend really, was probably on his way to an early grave, and the worst part of all was that innocent people continued to die every day. Wasn't that enough excuse for a very good cry?

Well perhaps not with Malfoy around.

She folded the parchment again, and finally looked up to greet his face. Ginny placed the parchment back into her pocket and her hands crammed in the small slots as well. "What?" She looked at him perplexed. Why was he staring at her so strangely?

"Who was your mother referring to?" It came out quiet and very unnerving. In fact he saw Ginny shuffle back a few steps.

She didn't really want to answer that question. She of course knew exactly who had been making the frequent stops to the Burrow. It was the only piece of the letter that made any real sense to her. After all her mother wouldn't have asked her about her bruised face if she wasn't referring to the eldest Malfoy. Why was he dropping by so often? Furthermore why was he so concerned about Ginny's letters? After all he had taken a good five or six swings at her face the last time he had seen her. It didn't seem like he cared then so why would he care very much now?

"Well at my brother's wedding there was -" and then it hit her so squarely in the face she felt stupid for even second guessing herself. Lucius Malfoy was not there to check on Ginny's injury. He had shown up at her house to see how school was going. He wanted to know how Hogwarts was holding up with the Carrows present. Her stomach flopped. He wanted to know if his son was safe. Her mouth hung open like some common toad.

" There was what?" His hands reached up to push the few fallen pieces of his hair back out of his face. "And what about your face?" Suddenly he found himself reaching out and taking her chin in his fingers. "It looks just the same as it always does. Well maybe a bit less dirty. Shower today then?" He gave the side of her face a short tap and then dropped his hand.

That damn cocky Malfoy smirk pushed to his lips, and Ginny huffed. Fine. If he wanted to play with bludgers, well she was certainly game. "There was a Death Eater attack at my brother's wedding. Don't act surprised by this Malfoy…" She jumped in as he began to roll his eyes in protest, " and your despicable lousy father wanted information. When I didn't give it to him he beat my face so badly that it took my Mum four days of medi-spells to heal me. This was my mothers way of informing me that its your blasted no good father that keeps showing up at my house. No wonder my brothers have run out the door."

"He hit you?"

For a moment there almost seemed to be a sense of concern in his voice. Ginny looked away afraid to look at his face. He probably still had that damn smirk plastered there. "No he didn't hit me…he beat me. Six hard blows to the right side of my face. Finally knocked me unconscious, and I say thanks to that. It forced him to leave cause no one else dared to speak."

Draco stared coldly at a spot on her chin for a moment. His father had told him that he had merely crashed the wedding to look for answers. When Draco asked if they had hurt anyone his father had said that they had just gone to warn them. All they wanted was precious Potter, and if the Weasleys handed him over there would be no problems. His father had sworn to him that no one touched a single soul. Lucius had even told Narcissa that when Potter wasn't found they left the wedding in a hurry allowing the ceremony to somewhat resume. This was all a lie? Was the weasel trying to play at him, or was it the truth? He thought back to the other times his father had told him bits of information.

_"You are a Malfoy. Malfoy's do not serve detention while present in that school."_

In his first year his father's words rang like little lying pixies as he served his detention with Potter in the Forbidden Forest.

_"We will only need a moment to get this in the girls possession. After that we will have nothing to worry about, Draco."_

Everything in their house had been confiscated when it was learned that his father had been the one to slip the Weaselette that diary. It took months for them to purchase new things.

_"That half-breed is as good as gone, Draco. With your injury and my pull in the trial there is no question."_

Hagrid had not been sacked, and what was worse that stupid animal had not been murdered. Draco had noticed it outside the oafs hut the previous year. He said nothing because he didn't care any more, but his father had lied again.

Over and over, year after year he had listened to the words of his father, and most of the results ended with Lucius' lies.

_"Don't worry Draco. All you need to do is follow one set of orders and then the Dark Lord will grant you full acceptance."_

This had been a lie. He had been asked to do many things by now and not one of them had given him the rightful Dark Mark he deserved.

Everything was always a lie. Apparently the Weasley wedding wasn't any different. Oh Draco didn't want to give the sodding Weasley's a happy go lucky day. He could have cared less whether or not the wedding resumed or if it had been ruined beyond repair. It was just that he had wondered briefly what would happen at the hands of the Death Eaters. He knew from personal experience that most were itching at the seams to go on a murdering spree. Even though it was the Weasely's he just didn't want that blood on his own conscious. He already had enough guilt. The constant faces of the Bloodtraitors swimming through his nightly dreams would have surely driven him mad.

"My father was never one with words." His voice came out curt and dead.

She blinked and then cast him a very confused expression. "Do you actually feel sorry for me then?" It had come out of her mouth so fast that she blubbered around for a few seconds before letting her sight fall to the stone floor.

Malfoy raked his hands across the side of his face. Why did he allow himself to fall into these predicaments with her? "I'm only sorry that I wasn't there." He didn't venture with these words any further. She could take them as she saw fit.

Unfortunately Ginny read them harshly and cursed wildly under her breath. "Of course your sorry you weren't there. You would have screamed thanks to the heavens for such an event."

"You are almost as thick as your Weasel brother." He turned his back on her.

Her hands flew to her hips. "I am not thick!" She paused, her eyes scanning him up and down for a moment. They lingered a bit too long on his bum. "I mean what gives you the right to say I'm thick when it's your father using a small innocent witch as a punching bag?"

This made him laugh bitterly. "You tell me I have a lot to learn when you can't even read in between the lines. Perhaps Granger should have hung around with you a bit longer. The Mudbloods intelligence could have rubbed off."

Ginny paused. "You really like being vague don't you? Why don't you just mimic what you mean with hand puppets to get your point across you bloody wanker."

Draco turned back to the shelf and began aligning vials. He didn't dare look at her as he said it. "I would have stopped him from hitting you. No wizard should ever hit a witch."

Ginny had to strain her ears to even hear him clearly. When it all finally registered in her head she let out a very audible sigh. "Oh." _What? Is that the best you can say? _She yelled at herself. Then another thing popped up in her head. "But you-"

"I was out of line hitting you. I was out of line holding my hand against your throat that first night. As much as I hate you, Weasely, I would never harm a woman. I have a little thing called respect as far out there as it sounds."

She stifled a short chuckle. "Well it really is very _very_ far out there."

Where the exchange came from neither of them would ever be able to figure it out. One minute he had been glaring at her, and the next they both broke out into the most rambunctious fit of laughter. Ginny clutched her sides as the stitched with laughter pains. Malfoy dropped his face into his right hand and wiped repeatedly at the side of his eyes. Through her own squinted tears she could see the genuine grin on his face. It wasn't so horrible to look at when she came to think of it. Sure his features were very strained and cocky looking, but the grin on his face seemed to soften those aspects. His usual lifeless eyes for once seemed to be alive. She couldn't help but laugh even more at this considering she was actually appraising Draco Malfoy. And his laugh? Well his laugh was something she had never expected at all. It wasn't an evil chuckle or a degrading cackle. It was deep and almost pleasant as though this was the first time he had ever laughed before.

Ginny hiccupped and clutched the edge of one shelf to balance herself. Somehow she always managed to catch the hiccups when she laughed to much.

Malfoy on the other hand could not believe he was standing there laughing with his greatest enemy. Oh if only Pansy could see him now. Surely she'd throw herself off the North Tower. This thought was quite pleasing, and he broke into another round of laughter. Perhaps with enough persuasion he could convince the redhead to act just like this around Pansy one evening. This prospect caused him to stop laughing for a very brief second. He was actually thinking of asking Weasely to be seen with him outside of detention? Once again the laughter returned, but this time with new vigor. Though the trouble was he wasn't sure if it was because of the idea, or the nervous wonder whether she would agree.

Malfoy suddenly cleared his throat and ceased his outlandish laughter. "Yes well…" He turned around suddenly and began fixing the shelves again.

Ginny furrowed her brow but did not protest. She took a deep breath instead and forced the last bit of laughter out of her. This had been another one of those fluke moments between them, but it was strange how often they kept occurring.

"How many more shelves do you have left?" She suddenly changed the subject in order to get them back on speaking terms. Despite what the little voice in the back of her head kept telling her the feeling in her gut pressured her into speaking. Go figure.

Malfoy didn't look at her. "Have about five on this row and then the last seven in the corner. Then…well then I should be done."

"Right." She looked over her shelves and sighed. She was just about half way finished as well. A few more sessions of detention and the Storeroom would be up to Slughorns standards.

There was a shift in the emotion now present in the room. Draco couldn't help but think about the owl the redhead received, and still couldn't drop the fact that his father was making frequent trips to her house. Ginny on the other hand was stuck in some sort of uneasy rut in where she couldn't quite grasp anything. She had shared a laugh with the ferret and even held a semi civil conversation with him. What was wrong with her? Better yet what was wrong with him? In silence they worked, Ginny casually taking quick glances over her shoulder to see what he was doing.

It was about an hour later when she rose from her position on the floor and dusted off the dirt from her robe. Leaning over she grabbed her black bag when a stifled snort forced her to turn around.

"What?" She shot him a look over his shoulder as if daring him to laugh again.

Malfoy shrugged. "You've got dust on your arse."

Ginny craned her neck and glanced down the back of her robes. Sure enough there was a perfect imprint of dust on her bottom. She snorted back a laugh as well, but immediately began wiping away at the back of her robes. She had almost wiped away the entire area when there was a sudden pop, and the dust whipped up into a burst of wind and blew her hair wildly up around her head. An empty vial was turned over on the floor where she had been sitting. Bottled tornado extract. She cursed. "I'm finished for today."

"So am I." He replied quickly trying to choke back another laugh.

Her hand swiped against her robe pocket again. The letter was still crumpled inside. She needed to speak with Neville. If things were getting risky beyond the walls of the castle they would definitely need to speed up organizing the D.A.

"Well then tomorrow I suppose…"

"Tomorrow Weaselette." He nodded curtly, but crossed the room and opened the door for her.

Ginny stood in her place dumbfounded. Apparently Malfoy must have realized what he had done because he quickly dropped his hand from the door and stepped through it before she could.

Draco turned left towards his dungeon dormitory, but briefly looked back over his shoulder to watch her turn right and move towards the staircase leading to Gryffindor Tower. She disappeared after moving up five or six steps, and Draco turned forward again to continue towards the dungeon common room..

"Sounded like you two were having a laugh riot earlier." The voice boomed from what he had thought was an empty classroom. Zabini stepped out and folded his arms across his chest.

Malfoy wound up and punched the tall black wizard square in the arm. "Never jump out at me like that." He let out a very rude comment and then began down the corridor with Zabini on his heels.

"Touchy Malfoy" Blaise quirked a brow, " afraid someone might catch you doing something …illicit? "

Malfoy furrowed his own brow, and paused in his place. "What are you insinuating Zabini?"

Blaise smirked. "That little redheaded Bloodtraitor was quite disheveled as she left that Storeroom. Have you been playing hide the broomstick with her?"

Malfoy contorted his face in utter disgust. "Are you suggesting that I'm snogging that Weasley girl?" He threw back his head and let out a deep laugh.

Blaise cocked his head to the side. "Well I heard you two earlier as I was passing by the room. Laughing in there as though you were right best mates. Figured you must be itching to get your claws into her if you are actually pretending to enjoy her filthy company." He paused. " I mean she is rather fit despite how poor her family is."

Draco pursed his lips together. "I wouldn't touch that filthy little Mudblood lover if you paid me."

"Good then…I hate sloppy seconds." Blaise clapped his hands together. "Though I still think it's awfully suspicious. I know you too well Malfoy to just shoot the breeze with some girl if there wasn't an ulterior intention." He sighed. "But as long as you don't mind I think I'll give her a go."

Malfoy frowned. "What are you getting at, Blaise?"

Zabini's lips twitched. "Just want to exert as much of this power as possible. We could do practically anything round here and get away with it. Alecto and Amycus wont do a single thing about it…and Snape practically gave me full reign of the school when I spoke with the other day." His smirk twisted into an evil sort of crescent, "Just curious as to what every bloke in this school went on about last term."

"You were quite adamant last term that you'd rather be dead then touch a Bloodtraitor." A sudden swelling in Draco's chest began to pound at his ribs.

"That was before my mother sat at the left side of the Dark Lord. I can take care of Bloodtraitors any which way I want." He snorted, " Besides I have yet to use this to my full advantage," He rolled up his sleeve and revealed the Dark Mark that was brandished into his skin. "It's like a free pass that will bring anyone to their knees. I'm hoping she's just good on them…" He chuckled again and brought his sleeve back down to his wrist.

There was a slight buzzing in his ears that caused Draco to miss the last bit of Zabini's words. It was like something had punched him square in the stomach and knocked the air right out of him. Why was he so concerned about what Zabini planned on doing to that girl? It was the same feeling he had gotten when he saw the gash slice across her face the first night at school. Was he so desperate to try and make up for all the foul things he had done over the summer holiday? Was it something else all together? He shook his head as they began to approach the common room entrance.

"So you plan on doing what? Taking advantage of her just because you can get away with it?" Draco's voice had suddenly gone hoarse.

"Yes well that's what the mark is for isn't it? Should be able to treat those little Bloodtraitors as we see fit." He turned to the Slytherin door and murmured the password. The door swung open and both boys stepped inside the dark room. "You look flushed Malfoy."

A flash of anger crossed Malfoy's face and he hoped that Blaise was too occupied with his thoughts to notice it. "The Dark Lord wouldn't be pleased you were touching a Bloodtraitor regardless of the reason."

"Oh come off it Malfoy." Blaise rolled his eyes as he moved towards the dormitory staircase. "If you don't want me to touch your little ruby then just say the word."

Draco stood motionless in the center of the common room. What had come over him? "Goodnight Blaise." He turned sudden on his heel and stormed up the staircase and into his dormitory.

Ginny smiled across at Seamus as he signed his name to the sheet. It had only taken two days for her to get the entire D.A. functional again, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. There were at least a dozen more students then the last time they had organized the group seeing as more and more students were worried that they didn't have enough training to take on the Dark Arts. Just as Hermione had done in Ginny's fourth year Luna had managed to charm the coins for all those who signed their name to the jinxed parchment. Each person slipped a coin into their pocket as they signed their name, and Ginny turned to face Luna who had taken a seat on her right hand side.

"Thanks for working the charm Luna. I wasn't sure how Hermione had done it last time, and my jinxing on inanimate objects isn't quite good yet." She smiled at the blonde Ravenclaw.

"Oh its no trouble at all." Luna replied with a casual tone. "Here you go." She handed one of the coins to a nervous fifth year Hufflepuff.

"You are sure that we wont be caught?" The Hufflepuff girl flickered her gaze between Ginny and Luna.

"Lets chat." Neville who was standing behind both girls reached out and took the Hufflepuff by the hand. He ushered her to the far corner of the room where Ginny watched him speak to her in hushed tones.

One by one each person who took a coin slipped from the Room of Requirement. She had a good half hour to rush down to the Storeroom and at least show face to Malfoy. She doubted he would even question where she was. He probably enjoyed the fact that he got a whole evening to himself for once. The previous evening he had been so quiet that she had felt she was working by herself. It was like he had tucked himself away into a different world just to keep himself from speaking to her. She didn't mind. It only helped remind her that it was his stupid pompous attitude that caused her to despise him.

As the final Ravenclaw grabbed their coin Ginny tucked the list of students into her pocket and stood from the table. "See you soon I expect." The Ravenclaw girl, who Ginny was almost certain was called Orla Quirke, grinned and hurried out of the room with the Hufflepuff that Neville had been speaking with.

Ginny didn't' look up at the two as she gathered her things. "You both go first." She ushered towards Luna and Neville who had stayed behind.

"You sure, Gin?" Neville was leaning against one of the bookcases that lined the room. "The three of us together wont look suspicious. They know we are friends."

"I know." Ginny sighed. "I just need to run down to detention. It will be easier if I go alone cause I can use the alternative route to the dungeons. I'll be more noticeable if I'm with you two, and if anyone finds out I skipped… " She grimaced.

Luna nodded at Ginny's words. "All right then. Come on Neville." She grabbed Neville's hand and began pulling him through the door.

"I'll wait for you in the common room." Neville yelled back to her. "We can go over some of the new plans."

Ginny just chuckled and gave a brief wave to Neville. "It's ok Neville. We can talk tomorrow. Go get some rest."

There was another grunt from the round-faced boy, but Ginny's feet scratching around the room muffled his words. She doubled checked a few of the things that were sitting on tables, and when satisfied that everything had been put away or taken with the others she slipped from the room as well.

It was nearing eight thirty, and Ginny shuffled quickly down a flight of steps disregarding the suit of armor that asked her where she was going. Her first instinct was to take one of the passageways, but since Dementors were watching them she turned down another side stair and took the longer alternative route. It would take her a few extra minutes to get down to the dungeons, but she ran less of a risk running into a Professor or worse Snape.

"Oof!" Her feet shifted beneath her as the staircase she had taken began to slowly change directions. "Damn!" It was swinging her directly back in the direction she had just come from which meant she had to swing around the entire castle again just to make it to a staircase that would lead her to the dungeon.

Stepping out into the corridor Ginny frowned. For all the years she had been attending Hogwarts she was certain that she had never entered this corridor. Sure there were new surprises found in the castle every day, but with all the exploring she had done in her past years she would have thought that she'd stumble upon this. It was a very strangely lit corridor that wrapped in a gradual bend. There was no other way to go. Moving down the corridor was the only way to find another staircase to the dungeons. She bit down hard on her lower lip, but continued to move down the corridor as her eyes took in the portraits on the wall. None of them looked remotely familiar. An old hag sat smugly on a stool sipping out of a very shifty looking bottle. The hag smirked a toothless grin, and Ginny quickened her pace to rid herself of the creepy corridor.

The grab on her wrist was so sharp and sudden that she didn't even have time to emit one single cry for help. There was a small pop, and Ginny was almost positive her shoulder had popped out of place for a second. This was confirmed when the blistering pain shot through her left arm. She had been yanked into a side room that was barely lit by the glow of the moon through the window. Ginny tried her best to pull her arm from the attackers grasp, but a wand tip pressed into the side of her neck. Whoever had pulled her into the room was standing behind her, and she could feel their hot breath running along the back of her neck.

A male voice finally broke the silence. "Traveling alone tonight, Red?" The tip of the wand dug further into the soft flesh of her neck.

"I-" She opened her mouth to reply, but the male whipped her around and clasped a hand firmly over her mouth.

"I didn't say you could answer me. You'll speak when I say you can speak…or scream when I give your permission. Either way ought to be fun then."

Ginny's eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness in the room, but from the sharp features in the face she could already make out the wizard in front of her. Blaise Zabini stood towering over her delicate frame, a sinister glint sparkling from the corners of his eyes.

"Now now…" His hand remained firm on her mouth, "a young vial little Mudblood lover seems to have strayed from the safe path. Either that or you were spying." He wheeled back the hand that was covering her mouth and slapped her across the face. Ginny grunted a cry. "Where you spying on someone then, Red? Trying to find your way to the dungeons to get sensitive information?" He raised an eyebrow, which Ginny assumed was her cue to speak.

"Detention." She croaked out pathetically.

There was a hint of knowing in his eyes, and Blaise snorted. "Liar…you were trying to get information so you could owl your muggle loving boyfriend. The bloody Chosen One." He covered her mouth again. "Tell me, Red…" His eyes worked their way down her face and landed right above the nape of her neck. "What did that Half-blood Potter ever see in a twit like you?" He flicked his wand, which sent her careening backwards into the brick wall.

Ginny grabbed her stomach as the air was immediately knocked out of her. Her face was wet. When had she started crying? "Stay away-" Her left hand moved towards her pocket for her wand, but Zabini was too quick. With another flick of his wand Ginny watched her own fly across the room and land against the side wall.

Blaise approached her slowly with that same sick smile plastered to his lips. " I'm just curious, Red. Just wondering what everyone keeps blabbering about. Even Malfoy seems to have some sort of peaked interest in a filthy Bloodtraitor such as yourself." There was a sharp movement of his right hand and the hex he threw at her slashed at her robes.

"Stop!" She charged forward with as much strength as she could muster, but he effortlessly knocked her back down to the ground. Her forehead hit the floor with a sickening thud. The metallic taste of blood dripped into the sides of her mouth, and she gagged.

_"Silencio" _Blaise sliced his wand down again. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. Quickly she turned and began crawling madly towards her fallen wand. Again she felt a cold stab at her side, and then he flipped her onto her back with a swift kick to her gut. "Aww there will be none of that, Red." He chuckled like a five-year-old boy at Christmas. "You just stay right there…quietly…" He quipped with that sick grin on his face.

" And we are going to see just what the rave is all about." He rolled up his sleeves to reveal the dark lines of the Dark Mark.

Ginny opened her mouth to yell for help again, but the only thing she could hear was the pleading voices inside her very own head.

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This chapter contains lyrics from **Matter of Time** by **Cartel**

Who loves a nice little cliffy? I do! I do! I'm so stoked to get the next chapter up. Its one of the few moments that had fueled me to do this fic in the first place. Until then...please leave me a little love via review. BTW: **The person who leaves me the most reviews by the end of this fic will win a grand prize to have an OC in my next fic. **


	7. I Wasn't Prepared

Hey all! Thanks so much for the reviews! You have all been awesome. **REMEMBER**: the person with the most reviews by the end of the story will be asked to create an OC for my next fic. So keep it up and ... enjoy ...

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_Xx I'll sit here wondering about you_

_And how the pollen fell_

_All around your face in strange yellow patterns_

_But, i wasn't prepared for this_

_Oh, i wasn't prepared for this xX_

**_Chapter 7_**

**_I Wasn't Prepared..._**

Blaise licked his lower lip with the eagerness of a hungry dragon. How could she have been so stupid to follow a corridor she didn't know? What was worse there was no way of knowing whether or not someone else would happen down the very same corridor. Ginny's eyes shifted uneasily towards Blaise again as the boy took an advancing step. If she could just make it to her wand she could hex him. Despite what some thought of her abilities, Ginny had learned non-verbal magic relatively quickly with Professor Flitwick. She had mastered it so well that he had asked her to assist others with their progress. All she needed to do was get that wand in her hand and she'd be alright. The look in Blaise's eyes confirmed that he had other plans.

His wand lifted above his head again, and he murmured something that she couldn't quite hear. In a blinding white flash wet sticky blood poured from her mouth again. Whatever he had thrown at her had slashed at her face. She coughed up a thick load of her own blood and backpedaled on the floor.

"Where do you think you are going?" He waved his wand back and forth as though scolding her. "I can't have you running away from me." His mouth opened partially, and Ginny waited for the stunner to hit her. He refrained. "What's the fun in having you completely incapacitated? If I stun you then you'll just be lying there like a dead fish."

Ginny's eyes leaked with what felt like a thousand tears. She could only imagine what her face looked like. Tear stained and bloody she probably resembled one of those old medieval portraits of war casualties that hung on the corridor wall.

"Maybe I'll just beat you around for awhile? Eh?" He snorted back a laugh, "that way you'll be too injured to fight back." He nodded to this comment as if agreeing with himself, and again the wand slashed down in a vertical motion.

Her robes tore straight down the middle, and a wide gash covered the area from her navel to her breastbone. She screamed in silent pain, and Blaise chortled. He slashed at her again this time drawing blood from her left thigh. It could have been mere seconds that his hexing went on for. To Ginny it felt like a thousand long tortured years. Over and over he cut at her, every now and then sending another swift kick to her side. She was badly bruised and beaten. Every inch of her body hung in perpetual pain. For a moment she thought he was going to cease his hexing but writhed in pain again as he cut this time at her stomach. The same gashes oozed more blood as they merged with new injuries. One sick moment he had healed one of her wounds and then slowly reopened it again with revolting glee.

Ginny hated him. If ever she wanted to kill someone Blaise had surely taken that spot at number one. She was belittled and humiliated over and over again as he laughed at her bloody exposed body. Her clothes were now in shreds along the stone floor.

"You take a good beating, Red." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "But I think dinner is over…I'm in the mood for desert." Blaise shrugged off his robes to reveal the required Hogwarts uniform.

Her entire body ached, and the sticky bloody upon her skin had begun to mix with her tears and drip into her eyes and mouth. She had one second to get herself out of this. She knew what was going to happen before it even did. For one brief moment Blaise lowered his eyes and undid the first two buttons on his shirt. It was the gateway she needed, and Ginny, disregarding all the pain, pushed to her feet and lunged at him.

Her small bloodied frame collided with his sending him backwards onto the stone floor with her. She was up again and dashing towards the door. Screw her wand. She'd go back for it eventually. A pair of hands grabbed her ankles, and Ginny felt herself falling forward so quickly that her hands didn't have a chance to brace herself from the floor. Her face smashed into the stone surface with a nauseating thud. The pain jolted like rapid fire up through her jaw and across her face. It was broken. It had to be. The pain was far too intense for it to be anything but. He was clawing at her legs again doing his best to push her back over. For an excruciating moment his finger had poked inside one of the deeper gashes and sent another searing pain across her leg. She wanted to die, but her thoughts immediately jumped to Harry. Harry risked his life every bloody day, and despite death and danger he did his best to overcome the bad guy. Ginny refused to be a victim of Zabini's any further.

She kicked her left leg back hitting Blaise square in the face.

"You bitch!" Blaise clutched at his jaw as Ginny scampered to her feet. "Crucio!"

Again she had almost made it to the door when the unforgivable curse hit her. If death hurt then this had to be what it felt like. Her face twisted in obvious pain, and still clutching his own jaw Zabini got to his feet. Ginny was now on her knees, and Blaise held the curse with an angry scowl on his face. When he finally closed the gap between them he lowered his wand, but gave her a hard knee to her chest. Clutching at the spot Ginny fell back onto the floor again.

"Are you blind?" He pointed down at the Dark Mark, "I could filet you right now and no one would give a flying fuck."

Ginny's eyes darted the mark and then back to his face. He was hovering over her while his fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt again. He lowered himself to the ground and slapped her hard across the face again. She spit a mess of blood from her mouth. Blaise smirked and then wiped his finger across the trickle of red that had dripped from the corners of her mouth. The red stained his skin and Ginny watched horror struck as Zabini lifted his finger and licked her blood from his own finger.

"Filthy blood … a Pureblood Mudblood lover…disgusting you are, Red." And then Blaise lowered his mouth onto hers.

Ginny squirmed frantically beneath him as he left hard humiliating kisses on her lips. They were forceful and desperate, and Ginny fought back the urge to vomit right then and there. She didn't know where the burst of power came from. Perhaps the quick image of Harry in her mind sent her some much needed strength. As he leaned in to kiss her again, Ginny pushed all of her weight up upon him and bucked him off of her. She was free again, and she got to her feet and ran for the door. Unfortunately Blaise was still just as quick, and a red shot flew just over her head and hit the door. Ginny moved to the right and dodged another hex as it whizzed right by her left ear. Her wand. She could see it against the wall just a few feet from where she was currently standing.

She moved forward again and Blaise growled in obvious frustration. He charged forward, his wand raised over his head, and shot a bright orange light from the tip if his wand. She didn't hear what the curse was. All she heard was her own oxygen leaving her lungs as she threw herself to the floor and knocked the wind out of her gut. Behind her a large mirror had been stationed and the curse Blaise had cast bounced directly off the flawless glass and hit him dead in the face. He let out an audible wail, and Ginny watched as ropes appeared out of thin air and began tightening around his arms. His wand fell from his grasp, and he tried to pick it up again. Ginny realizing what he was about to do moved across the short distance and grabbed the wand in her own tiny mangled hand.

With much satisfaction she flopped down on her side and snapped the wand firmly on the floor. If she could have spoken a very loud laugh would have passed through her lips. Unfortunately the silencing charm was still firmly in place so she just grinned up at him, as painful as it was, triumphantly.

With his arms tied securely at his sides Blaise did the only thing he could have done. He pulled back his foot and kicked her again landing his toe right into her nose. This time she knew it was broken as the bones made a shattering noise that seemed to fill the empty room.

"This doesn't end here, Red. You've just black listed yourself, and I always make good on those who've been black listed." Leaning over he spit coldly in her face before turning and reaching the door. With a bit of maneuvering he turned the knob and slammed the door shut behind him.

Ginny couldn't move. The blood from her nose spilled like a faucet down her face, and she cried. Her torn robes revealed a badly beaten body and the blood loss was finally beginning to get to her. The room swirled in fuzzy circles around her head. The throbbing in her sides was only measured by the throbbing in her legs, and since they were both excruciating she concluded that her level of pain was beyond anything imaginable.

Failing twice she tried to roll to her side and push herself up. She felt the contents of her stomach lurch up and she vomited right onto the floor. How was she going to get back to the common room?

The doorknob clicked again, and Ginny threw her hands over her face careful not to hit her now broken nose. It was bad enough she was half naked, bloody and sorely beaten. She didn't want Blaise to have the satisfaction of her tears.

"Bloody hell."

It wasn't Zabini's voice at all. She winced as she lowered her hands to catch the eyes of Draco Malfoy. Immediately she started crying harder. Vulnerability went out the door. She didn't care how silly and weak she looked lying there on the floor. She was in so much god awful pain that all she wanted was for someone to bring her to Madam Pomfrey. Malfoy though could not stop staring down at her defeated figure. She didn't want to know how bad she looked. She could feel every inch of her crawling with disgust as the thought of Zabini filled her head. A look of mild concern passed across Malfoy's features.

Ginny pointed towards her throat and opened her mouth to show the silent screams. Malfoy seemed to finally grow aware that he was gawking at her and removed his wand from his pocket with fumbling fingers. He had seen a lot of foul things due to his involvement with the Dark Lord, but for some reason seeing Ginny like this cut him more deeply then any other appalling sight.

He pointed the wand at her throat and murmured the counter jinx. He expected her to scream out in pain. The sight of her made him wonder how she had managed to stay conscious for so long. Instead she blubbered out a cough. Her sobs replaced any initial feeling to scream obscenities at the top of her lungs. She didn't want to be awake any longer. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and forget that any of it happened.

She felt him shift beside her, and with an agonizing turn of her neck she saw that Malfoy had crouched down and was now kneeling beside her. She was certainly glad she had worn the plain red knickers and not the ones with the tiny golden snitches. For some reason despite her beaten state she couldn't imagine Malfoy leering over her while sprawled out in the old knickers she had bought in her fourth year.

He pointed his wand down at the gashes along her stomach, and Ginny emitted a whimper and recoiled as much as she could.

"Easy." Malfoy's voice was very monotone, but there was a small trace of actually worry that Ginny caught. " Just be still." For some unknown reason she trusted his word and let out a deep breath.

One by one Malfoy ran his wand over the gashes murmuring some sort of healing charm. It took a couple of times on each gash before they began to fade, but eventually they began to slowly mend. Ginny watched as they stitched together and let out a few sharp intakes of breath when the pain surged again. It was at these moments Malfoy looked down on her and waited until the pain subsided. Then when she seemed ready he began the charm again finishing off each gash with such precision that Ginny knew immediately he had done this before.

When he finished the length of her body and siphoned the dried blood off of her he moved to her nose and fixed it with a quick flick. "There." Again he flicked his wand and her slashed uniform was mended again. Unfortunately he couldn't put it back together perfectly so the seams of her skirt were a bit off, and her shirt was still missing four buttons. "Take this." He removed his robe and placed it on her stomach.

"My jaw." She croaked, and Malfoy furrowed his brow. "It's not right." Again her voice was so hoarse that she had to repeat herself twice for him to understand.

Malfoy leaned over even more so that his nose was practically touching hers. His fingers worked along her jaw line and he examined the bone structure with such precision that when he told her it was just sorely bruised she believed him. He pulled away, and only after this did it dawn on him how close his own face had been from hers.

"Can you walk?" He reached down and offered her his hand.

"I don't-" But they both froze instantly when they heard the muffled voices on the other side of the door. Ginny knew it had to be way past curfew. She had left the D.A. meeting at half past eight. She winced as she tried to push herself up onto her elbows. "Ack…" Her eyes went wide as the noise echoed, but she couldn't help it. The throbbing was still so severe that she couldn't even pick her own body up off the floor.

Malfoy glanced wildly around the room. He didn't want to imagine the punishment they would receive if they were caught. Granted his punishment wouldn't be as harsh as Ginny's, but he didn't want to risk it. His eyes landed on the mirror right behind her. It was large enough to hide behind, and without wasting another moment he reached down and scooped her up.

Ginny bit her lip in fevered pain. Her head dropped to the side, and for a second she thought Malfoy was going to open the door and just hand her over to whoever was on the other side. Instead he moved them behind the mirror and placed her down on the floor gently. With a wave of his wand he lifted the mirror and slightly moved it so it would conceal the two of them perfectly. Ginny looked up at him through her watery eyes and he held his index finger over his lips. Lowering himself to the ground beside her Draco did his best to press against her and to keep his arms or legs from sticking out. Ginny tilted her head to the side and glanced up at his pointed face. She was so damn close that she could see a series of tiny scars down the side of his neck. She was so close she could definitely smell his cologne which was a mixture of mahogany and sharp spice. Her ears burned red and she quickly turned her attention to the back of the mirror.

The doorknob jingled again and then clicked open.

"He will not listen to me." A female voice filled the room. "he says that he will do it when he is ready, but how dare he sit on the orders of the Dark Lord."

"From what I understand, Bellatrix, Severus is waiting for authenticity. He wants to be sure that it is-" It was Amycus Carrow.

"Of course it is the authentic sword of Godric Gryffindor. Would you believe Dumbledore to have anything but?" She sneered, " How stupid are you Carrow?"

A huff followed this. "The goblins have sent word that they will examine it soon. Apparently they are busy now and Snape trusts no ones judgment on the piece but theirs."

"Snape." Bellatrix let out a disgusted choke, "He is no more interested in learning the truth then he is about his proving his loyalties. I am the Dark Lords most faithful and here I am forced to sit by and watch that traitorous man steal away my glory. I should be running this school…not that imbecile."

"So what are you suggesting, Bellatrix? Take the sword ourselves and seal it?" Amycus coughed. " It would be unwise to go behind the Dark Lord's orders. He is already angry that Harry Potter-"

"Harry Potter may be alive, but it only remains like that for now."

Ginny felt her chest tighten at Harry's name. Harry was alive. The horrible thoughts that she had been dreaming about for weeks were finally put to rest. Harry was ok. Harry was alive. Beside her Draco shifted uncomfortably. Her eyes moved up towards his face and for one awkward second they locked into his and they both turned away quickly. She could only imagine how he felt about Harry's mention. Sure enough when she glanced up again the vein that was obvious in the side of his neck began pulsing again. Jealousy just never seemed to fade regardless of the situation.

"Shall I tell Alecto then?" There was a pause. "We will wait a few days and it Snape does not deliver the sword like the Dark Lord wishes then we will take it ourselves." Bellatrix must have nodded because Amycus continued, "Good then."

"What is this?" Bellatrix's footsteps moved across the room and paused mere inches from the mirror.

Neither of them knew where the two Death Eaters were looking. Ginny had a sneaking suspicion they were looking in the large antique looking mirror. Then it dawned on her. Her wand was still sitting against the wall in the room. The pieces of Blaise's wand were still sprawled on the floor. And the blood… What if they found it all? What if they started snooping around the room looking for something? They were like sitting flobberworms.

"Don't know." Amycus piped up, "this ruddy school has massive amounts of odd things. That crackpot Dumbledore looks to have collected junk and stored it away in old classrooms." There was a tap against the glass of the mirror. Ginny felt her shoulders slope in relief.

Bellatrix let out a murmur of agreement. "Whatever it is it must be broken." She clicked her tongue, "I see myself surrounded by a mess of muggle bodies. The Dark Lord is nodding his approval to my left and-" She stopped, and Ginny could tell by the apparent confusion in her tone that whatever she had seen was something she did not want to continue with. What was in that mirror causing Bellatrix to falter?

"Someone's been in here." Ginny jumped against Malfoy as Amycus interrupted the silence.

"What do you mean? You said this corridor was vacant all the time." Bellatrix hissed coldly, and again the footsteps moved rapidly across the room.

"Usually is, but it looks like someone found it and-" There was another pause. "Is this blood?"

Ginny bit down again on her lips causing her eyes to well with more tears. If they found the blood it was only a matter of time before they found everything else. She began to breathe quickly, and as much as she tried to stop the hyperventilation it wouldn't cease. It was only when Draco lifted his hand and lightly placed it over her mouth that she calmed. The touch of someone being there beside her brought her hurdling back into her senses . Yet the pressure caused the tears to slip slowly down her cheeks, and upon realizing this he quickly eased his hand.

"That's absurd! How would there be bloodshed in this classroom?" Bellatrix stepped across the room.

Carrow squirmed under the inquisitive eyes of the dark haired Death Eater. "Perhaps some students got in earlier to duel?" His voice came out in a semi squeak.

Bellatrix scowled. "Why do you question me? You are the Professor here." She scuffled across the room again murmuring under her breath. "I knew the Dark Lord should have placed me here. I could have done things right in this blasted place."

Ginny felt her breath hitch in her throat. If she lost her wand at such a critical time...

Malfoy shifted next to her again, and this time she was certain he had made a very obvious noise behind the mirror. Her eyes went wide with worry, and Malfoy pressed his hand down harder on her mouth again.

"What was that?" Amycus hissed, and Ginny knew from the carried voice that he was staring at the large mirror again.

Ginny squeezed her eyelids shut even when she felt Malfoy move beside her. His leg was dragging up against hers and she felt his hand reach down and slip off a shoe. The shuffling of the two Death Eaters was growing closer towards the mirror, and apprehensively Ginny let on eye squint open. Malfoy had his shoe resting idly on the floor beside them. He was now fumbling for something in his pocket.

"_Lumos_." Bellatrix's voice was sharp, and virtually right on top of them

Ginny flickered her gaze towards Malfoy again, and she furrowed her brow as he gripped his wand tightly in his hand. Much like Ginny had mastered nonverbal spells, Malfoy pointed his wand at his shoe and transfigured the black trainer into a rat. With a short zap of light from the tip of his wand the little rodent burst out from behind the mirror. The rat's rapid footsteps drew up just as much echoed attention in the room as Draco's earlier movement.

"What in the name..." Carrow had spluttered as the thing scampered across the room and away from the mirror.

Much to Ginny's relief the rat had brought Bellatrix and Amycus away from the mirror. It was a great needed distraction, and Ginny felt her eyes turn upwards towards Malfoy and thank him knowingly. She didn't want to think of what would happen if either of them were caught. She was already severely injured, and another round of beatings from someone like Lestrange would surely do her in.

"_Avada Kedavra_" Bellatrix's voice was enough to send a jolt of pain through Ginny. Granted she knew that the rat was actually Malfoy's shoe didn't sway the thought that the thing had just been murdered for no reason.

"It was only a rat." Carrow explained with a speck of amusement in his voice.

"I know perfectly well what it is Carrow. I am not blind." She seethed, and swept once across the room again.

"Come now, Bella." Amycus let his voice resume the inferior tone, " Lets go find my sister and sort out this sword business. I know very well she will side with us."

Bellatrix muffled a sneer, but much to Draco and Ginny's delight the doorknob clicked open, and them shut forcefully behind them.

They remained silent behind the mirror for what seemed like hours. Neither one of them keen to make a noise just in case someone happened to be waiting for them. Finally after a spell Malfoy slipped away from her and sighed.

"That was one of my finer shoes." He cursed, and then leaned over to lift her up again.

Ginny however felt multitudes of adrenaline pumping through her. The pain had subsided. "I'm fine...I'm fine." She slowly pushed herself to her feet. Once again the pain lurched to her wounds but the news she had just heard blinded her from the severity of it.

Malfoy merely shrugged. " I'd take you to Pomfrey, but the Carrows have demanded that she only see to Slytherin students. I don't think you qualify."

Ginny hadn't even registered his words. Instead she looked off into the far off wall with an unusual smirk present on her lips.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" A slight stitch pierced her side. One of the gashes suddenly lit with searing pain. " They want the sword of Gryffindor! The sword that Harry was supposed to-" she cut herself off in a hurry. No one was supposed to know of Harry's involvement with Dumbledore. Letting Malfoy of all people learn that Harry had been left the sword seemed like the worst idea possible.

Malfoy merely stared questioningly at her. He knew that look in her eye. It was the same fiery look she received any time she wanted to dance toe to toe with him. She was going to get herself killed over something stupid. That much he was certain of. He didn't know why he felt compelled to stop her from doing something stupid but he did.

" Don't be foolish, Weasel. I know what you are thinking..." His voice tripped when she slipped out Potter's name. Once again Potter had ruined his train of thought. He cursed and looked away from her.

"What?" she quirked a brow.

"You get beaten beyond recognition and the first thing you can do is think of precious Potter." He let out a low grunt of disgust.

Ginny just stared at him with mild amusement. It didn't matter what the situation was. Malfoy would find himself jealous of Harry as often as he possibly could. The only difference this time was that Malfoy seemed more than jealous. It was as though Harry was standing right there between them stamping on Malfoy's feet. Reaching up she brushed some of her bloody hair out of her face.

Another burst of intense pain went through her. "I'm concerned about my boyfriend...yes." She hissed between her clenched teeth.

Malfoy sneered. "Boyfriend? I thought Potter went the smart route and ditched your sorry arse."

"You are a complete prat, Malfoy." She bit back on her lip and turned toward the mirror that had saved her from sudden torture.

"Wasn't much of a prat when I was saving you." It was a swift jab at her, and he smirked as she lowered her eyes to her own disheveled robes.

"I never asked you to do that." She replied softly.

" You didn't stop me either." He shrugged, and moved his own attention to the oversized mirror as well. "But I'm serious.."

She cocked her head to the side, "About what?" she almost added in another snide Harry remark but refrained.

Malfoy pursed his lips together as though this was the most difficult thing he had ever done. "Don't get involved with anything my Aunt may be involved in. Whatever that sword is..." He paused, " I just don't think its wise for you to go parading off to be some sort of heroine when you can't even deflect a simple attack from another..." He gestured towards her beat up body. This again caused her to lower her eyes in defeat.

Ginny hated feeling so weak against someone else. It was humiliating and perhaps her greatest fear. Weakness was a sign of lameness, and that was something Ginny prided herself on not being. To have Malfoy come in on his white high horse and fix her up only seemed to make her feel even worse then she already did. He really didn't need to keep rubbing it into her face to make the matter worse. She turned her attention to the mirror that had deflected the spell earlier. Even the mirror was better at protecting her then she was at protecting herself. How utterly sad. She stepped forward and let her eyes take in her reflection. For someone who felt like they had been thrown off the North Tower Ginny looked pretty good. Too good in fact. She wasn't even wearing her disheveled school clothes anymore. Now she was adorned in a pale long dress with tiny little flowers in her hair. She was holding a bouquet of flowers, and smiling so broadly that she gave off a very flighty sort of look.

"Can you see this?" She didn't look over her shoulder at him, but heard him move behind her.

"See what?" Again his voice had dropped into that monotone severity.

Ginny jerked her head in the direction of the mirror. "It's some sort of strange mirror. I mean I don't look all beat up in it. I look …well…" She paused and squinted at the sharpening reflection. " well I think I may very well be married in this."

Malfoy quirked a brow and stared at his own reflection. He had no idea what she was seeing, but Malfoy saw himself standing with a child. A young boy to be more exact. He looked exactly like him when he had been very young. There were similar features in the boys face, and the way his reflection kept staring back at him Draco immediately knew he was looking at his son, or at least what his son would look like if he had one. The sleeves on his reflection shirt were rolled slightly, and his eyes fell upon his forearm. The Dark Mark was not present. His lip quivered into a slight smirk. What sort of mirror was this?

"I see myself." He stated blandly.

Ginny turned to look at him. "I don't see you…" She was still staring at herself dressed in the simple white gown. Her family had now appeared in the mirror behind her smiling and waving with pure joviality. Harry was standing beside her as well, and Ginny could see him reach for her hand. A grin pressed against her cut lip. She was marrying Harry.

"I see you…I think." Malfoy was now staring at a woman with red hair who had found her way into the reflection. He wasn't sure if it was Ginny, but she resembled her slightly. He frowned. Why was she leaning down towards his son? The woman picked up the young boy and turned to face his reflection self. "No." His voice rose slightly as he watched the woman kiss him lightly on the lips. He looked over at Ginny who had now stepped closer to the mirror. Did this mirror predict the future?

Ginny was smiling so broadly now that Malfoy knew they were both seeing completely different things. Even if it wasn't her that he was seeing in the reflection he doubted the little Weasel would be so happy about it.

" What sort of mirror do you reckon this is?" Ginny brushed her hand over the smooth surface.

"Don't really know." His voice hitched slightly in his throat.

She grabbed at her side. "You think it's a mirror that tells the future?" She narrowed her eyes at the reflection. Why was it fading? Now she was looking at herself wearing Quidditch robes completely and utterly alone. "How bizarre."

Malfoy merely shrugged. He couldn't rip his eyes away from the image he was witnessing.

"Its rubbish." He stated firmly before turning away from the mirror. There was something uncomfortable about looking at the phony reflection, and he was certain it had everything to do with the Weasley like girl that he saw.

Ginny's smile faltered. How could it be rubbish when it was something she so desperately desired? She took one more look at it before turning to face him. "It's just interesting is all..." Her voice trailed off slightly.

Malfoy looked away from her. The small cuts across her face would not scar. He knew from his own experience which ones would scar and which wouldn't. She'd be fine. He had marks on his own body to know which ones would remain and which would eventually fade. She was lucky. Her cuts would leave nothing more than scars upon her soul. Suddenly he hated her for that, and at the same time he wished he had been there to stop it all from happening. He knew that Blaise was out to try something like this. He had caught on to that little notion only a few days back when Blaise had taken up the redhead as a new pastime. Draco wished he could have been there to prevent it unlike everything he had been unable to prevent in his very own house. He spit upon the floor.

"You should get back to your common room." He moved across the room and grabbed her wand from the floor. He thrust it wordlessly in her face.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Are you stupid?" She grabbed the wand from him. "I can barely even walk. You think I'm going to be able to make it to Gryffindor tower without getting caught?" She winced at the sharp pain in her jaw.

He had not thought that far into it. All he knew was that an awkward feeling in his guy was urging him to get away from her. Between the feeling and the reflection something was twisting his guts around unlike anything he had ever felt before. "I'll help you."

"Get bent, Malfoy." She began shuffling into the far corner of the classroom behind the mirror again. "I'm going to sleep here for the night and I'll slip up to my common room in the morning when everyone else is at breakfast." Removing one of her own shoes she ripped off a sock and cleaned it with a quick charm. "Besides I'd much rather chance it here then be caught out in the corridors by your batty Aunt." With another wave she transfigured the sock into a small pillow.

Malfoy sneered. "My Aunt it not batty. She is loyal to her cause, and deserves respect."

Ginny choked out a bitter laugh. "Respect? The witch is a complete loon. You know I gave you a lot more credit then this, Malfoy. I figured you'd at least see through her insanity even though she is part of your family." She tried to bend her knees but the shooting pain caused her to yell out in agony.

He should have laughed at her pain. There was a perfect moment where he could have flung insults at her until he reduced her to tears. This was impossible. His voice had become hoarse within his very own throat. Her words played like a broken record over and over in his head. She had given him credit? Credit for what? He wasn't a good man. He despised her and loathed her family to a ridiculing degree. Yet she had said she gave him credit.

"I'll stay with you." As soon as it came out he regretted it. Her expression bore nothing of gratitude.

"That's not necessary." She had begun pressing herself against the wall and lowering herself down by sliding along the stone.

"You are right though." He stepped forward. "There is too much chance being caught out in the corridors. I'm staying."

She opened her mouth to protest again, but he was already moving towards her transfiguring his other shoe into a pillow as well. "This really is stupid. I'm perfectly capable of-"

"Pissing and moaning till you get your way?" He snapped back as they both sprawled out onto their backs.

Ginny twisted to her right to glare at him, but this only caused a sudden tightening of her sore muscles. She growled under her breath and turned so her back was facing him. The night air had begun to creep into the room, and despite the robe he had given her earlier Ginny could sense the chill. She shivered, and wrapped the robe tighter. Beside her Mafloy shuffled around, and Ginny rolled her eyes. Merlin now this was a story to top all stories. Perhaps once Harry returned to her she'd tell this lunacy over a picnic in the park. The humor of her sharing a small area with the blonde git was enough to drive anyone into tears…and pity. Something brushed the back of her leg, and she jerked forward releasing another series of pangs. Malfoy had rolled slightly into her.

At once both of them stammered apologies.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry."

"No I moved to much."

"It's fine."

"Did I hurt you?"

"Sorry…oh no." An awkward pause of silence erupted, and Ginny pulled the robe even tighter against her.

Malfoy cleared his throat. "Goodnight then."

Ginny had never wanted to die more then she did at that moment. "Malfoy…" Her voice had suddenly found her again.

"What?"

"You don't snore do you?" A small delicate giggle managed to slip out the side of her mouth.

"Sod off Weaselette." Though she couldn't see him there was an evident smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Malfoy?" She broke the silence once again ripping him from an almost slumber.

"What!"

"Thank you." She closed her eyes and allowed herself to slowly drift away from the dull pains in her body. Somewhere off in the distance of her mind she was certain she had heard a very faint 'Your Welcome' come from behind her.

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This chapter contains lyrics from **I Wasn't Prepared **by **Eisley**

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This is probably my favorite chapter. PLEASE review! I love feedback! Magic cookies and rainbows to all of you :)


	8. Rejazz

Hi all! Hope everyone is doing well. Once again I want to thank all you lovely beautiful people for reviewing this story. YOU ROCK! Ok, I wont keep you from the next chapter... enjoy...

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_Xx Thought I'd cry for you forever But I couldn't so I didn't People's children die and they don't even cry forever _

_Thought I'd see your face in my mind for all time But I don't even remember what your ears looked like_

_And the clock still strikes midnight and noon And the sun still rises and so does the moon Birds still migrate south and people move on Even though I'm no longer in your arms Thought the mountain would crumble And the rivers would bend But I thought all wrong and the world did not end Guess the maps will just have to stay the same for a while Didn't even need therapy to rehabilitate my smile Rehabilitate my smile_

_Thought I'd cry for you forever But I couldn't so I didn't... xX_

**Chapter 8**

**Rejazz **

_Ginny felt the tug at her eyelids as the pain dulled and the night took over. Once again she tumbled into the dream that plagued her every night. She was standing in her bedroom as the strips of sunlight slipped through the window and broke across the bridge of Harry's nose. She loved the way he looked when the sunlight hit the sparkle in his bright green eyes. For a moment she dared not waste this feeling. It was almost a shame that she knew it was a dream. At least with the false pretense that it was real she wouldn't feel so sad to see it go._

_"You didn't have to get me anything."_

_She grinned. She had been here so many times before. She stepped closer to him, but this time he stepped away. She frowned slightly. Every night she always looked forward to these few blissful moments at night. There was a constant ache to feel Harry against her in that moment of fevered kisses. Why was he stepping away? He never had before._

_"What are you ..." But the door was opening again like it always did, and Ron stood beaming on the other side._

_"Hermione and I are serving detention tonight!"_

_Ginny quirked a brow, but looked back at Harry for some sort of comprehension. All he did was move across the room and slap him hard on the shoulder. This was not the normal way the dream unfolded. By now she should have been suffocating Harry with her lips. Who cared about Hermione and Ron. She moved forward to gesture them out of the door, but another figure had stepped into the doorway._

_" Ginny hurry into your dress!" her mother was throwing a white taffeta dress in her direction, and when she looked around again Harry was dressed in crisp black dress robes._

_"We've wanted this for so long" Harry was at her side again, but he was being followed by a dozen little house-elves throwing pieces of treacle tart._

_The dream changed and they were standing in the backyard of the Burrow. For a moment she thought that she was about to witness Bill and Fleur marry again, but that was nixed when Neville pushed her up the aisle next to Harry._

_"Harry do you take Ginny to be your wife? To bring you love always and steal for you the sword of Godric Gryffindor?"_

_"Of course."_

_Ginny glanced back over her shoulder at the formation of people. What in the world was going on? George was shooting fireworks out of his ear while a guffawing Fred and Lee Jordan stood watching. Her mother was busy chasing gnomes away from the cake, and Buckbeak the Hippogriff was wearing a Gryffindor Quidditch robe and a sign reading 'Just married'._

_" Do you Ginny take the Boy-Who-Lived...The Chosen One...THE Harry Potter to be your husband?"_

_Her head was spinning. " I ... " she turned front again and screamed. Bellatrix Lestrange stood at the alter leering at her. No one moved. Her mother continued to degnome the garden, the twins blasted off fireworks. Hell even Harry looked oblivious. He was turned away from her speaking to Neville. She was so cold suddenly._

_"Harry!"_

_When he turned around Harry's beautiful green eyes had been replaced by a pair of silvery blue ones._

_"What?"_

_Ginny's mouth hung open as she stared into the face of Malfoy. How the hell had he worked his way into her dreams? She stammered and then shut her eyes hoping she'd wake up and it would all go away._

_"Aunt Bellatrix...you haven't been scaring her have you ?" he paused, " I'd like to enjoy my wife tonight, and petrifying her like that won't do well for me." He smirked that cocky Malfoy grin._

_"Of course Draco." She removed her wand, "but please don't spare me of fun on your wedding day."_

_Ginny ducked as the spell came at her face and passed over her head easily. Somewhere behind her there was a scream, and Mad Eye Moody lie upon the grass dead._

_"Come on now, Weaselette. We have things to take care of."_

_And the thing that scared her most was that she willingly went with him._

She woke up in such a panicked start that she hadn't even noticed he was gone. Her forehead was drenched in beads of sweat, and the dull pain had returned across her body. Somewhere along the side of her face she felt a swelling and could only guess that it was the black eye she had received from her broken nose.

It was only after she shifted to the side that she noticed his departure. The sun had barely begun to climb along the ledge of the window. It had to be early. Why didn't he wake her? Furthermore why did she feel disappointed? It had to be the dream.

She felt heat rise in her cheeks at the thought of it. It was one thing to dream, and let it all go, but it was another to actually feel something fr the content. She had wanted to go with him. Why? There was only one thing she could pin point, and she placed all her worry on that. He had helped her. He had seen her so defeated and vulnerable that it was enevitable for him to sneak into her dream. That was the reason. Nothing more.

The tingle in her stomach suggested something else, but she quickly denied that before it had a chance to settle there. Suddenly compelled to see that truth, Ginny carefully pushed herself up from the floor, Malfoy's robe still draped around her. She gingerly moved around the mirror avoiding quick movements or bumps. Involuntarily she wrapped the robe tighter around her frame taking in the scent of mahogany and spices.

The mirror sat still in the same spot as she moved towards it, and she almost took off out the door afraid of what she may possibly see. So she stood there staring. A few feet away from the plain smooth surface she stood there waiting for something to show up. It was blank and she frowned slightly. What had she expected to see? She stepped closer and saw her small figure reflect in the glass. She was smiling again though the flowers this time had been replaced by a tiny tiara in her hair. Ginny laughed at this. She never fancied herself as one to wear Auntie Muriels tiara. Yet there she was with the glittering piece wrapped up in her long hair. She laughed as each member of her family stepped up to her side, and grinned even when Fleur stepped up beside Bill. They waved at her, and she waved back almost believing that they were literally standing directly on the other side of the mirror.

Where was Harry?

She looked behind Charlie who was kicking at something on the ground, but he wasn't there. Her eyes immediately moved towards Ron and Hermione who had positioned themselves off to the far corner, but he wasn't there either. She frowned slightly and stepped even closer to the mirror's surface. Arching back slightly she looked from the very top to the very bottom but found nothing more then her family reflected in the pane. It was when her mother turned towards an empty space that Ginny finally perked back up. Someone was approaching from behind them all, and she grinned knowing very well that she was going to be reunited with Harry again.

Sure enough an arm reached around her mother and began sliding their way through the gaggle of Weasley's. The face was blurry for a moment, but when the figure finally stepped to the front of the group Ginny smiled. Harry looked incredibly dashing in his dress robe though Ginny couldn't shake the feeling that before he had turned a strand of silvery blonde hair had peaked through the blur.

It could have been seconds, minutes or hours even that she stood there staring into Harry's handsome face. She reached out again and felt the smooth surface beneath her fingertips. Never had she been so close to something and not been able to attain it. It was killing her, and when she jerked her hand forward again to touch the mirror a piece of Draco's robe fell down onto her hand retching her out of the hypnotic fantasy. Her eyes fell down to the spot and she felt compelled to brush it with her other hand. What was wrong with her? How could she possibly be thinking of Malfoy when Harry was just beyond the thin pane of mirror? In an instant she turned back towards the mirror's surface and expected to see the same image flashing brightly at her like it had done twice already.

This time she was certain that there was a flash of blonde hair streaked within Harry's messy black mop. They were still standing there holding hands looking utterly happy, but she couldn't help but notice that his features were morphed slightly into someone else.

"Oh no." She stepped away, the robe wrapping tighter around her. " Oh no no no." It was because he had helped her the previous night. He had put himself on the line for her, and it was managing to stick in her brain as some sort of pleasant thing. "It's not pleasant!" She yelled back at the mirror. Pausing she scrunched her nose. "Great now I'm arguing with myself."

Her legs shifted beneath her, and she glanced out the window. The sun had risen a bit higher. People would be heading down to breakfast soon, and if she didn't want to be caught looking like hell had broken loose on her she needed to get to Gryffindor tower immediately. Gathering the rest of her things, which included her wand, Ginny took one last confused glance at the mirror before turning the knob and slipping back out into the corridor.

It was almost too quiet. The eerie sensation she had received when first stepping down the deserted place came rushing back to her, and in a very painful frantic run she bolted for the stairs. The overwhelming thought of Zabini finding her again had taken over, and she felt pathetic. Nevertheless she dashed straight up three flights of stairs holding the aching gash in her right thigh and the robe with her left hand. She was so close to the tower and she silently prayed that no one had decided to make it an early morning and hang around in the common room. She slipped quickly around the corner, and had just caught a glimpse of the Fat Lady when a voice came from her left, and Ginny jumped nearly five feet into the air.

"Ms. Weasley!" The concerned elder voice filled her ears, and Ginny relaxed slightly.

"Professor." She turned towards the woman, and did her best to keep the robe of Malfoy's tucked behind her back.

"What on earth?" She closed the distance and observed Ginny's battered and disheveled state. "What have you been doing dear girl? You look like you've just went to war."

She would not cry. " I went out early this morning for a walk, and accidentally stumbled down one of the paths around by Hagrid's hut. A lot of thorn bushes have sprung up over there and I couldn't really avoid them." Wincing slightly as she bit down on her tongue, Ginny looked away from the woman's eyes. Somehow she felt less awful lying when she wasn't looking at McGonagall.

McGonagall seemed to believe this although Ginny felt as though she had been skeptical. "Hurry up to your dormitory and clean up. I'd send you to Madam Pomfrey but…" She trailed off and adjusted her black hat. " Be quick down to breakfast." She turned on her heel and hurried off down the corridor to stop Peeves from screaming obscenities from the rafters.

Ginny heaved a large sigh of relief and hurried towards the portrait of the Fat Lady. She didn't even register her own voice speaking the password, but somehow managed to get up into her dormitory before anyone else got a nice morning glimpse of her battered appearance. Without even bothering to shower or remove herself from the dirty clothes Ginny pulled back the curtains on her four poster and dropped into her bed like a dead weight. She didn't care much about attending classes that afternoon. If she received another detention from it she didn't care. The hot tears that had been plaguing her eyes for what seemed like ages finally came rushing down her face like a watery mess.

Burying her face into her pillow, Ginny stifled the noises as her dormmates began to rise for the morning. Someone, she was almost certain was Natalie McDonald, asked if she'd be coming down to breakfast. Ginny just groaned slightly and told her to tell the Professorts she has come down with a slight case of Wizards Flu. When the voice asked if she could see her behind the curtains Ginny immediately shouted out a very blunt 'no'. An awkward pause rose between the girls in the room, but after a moment they left her lying in her bed without so much as a peak.

She skipped lunch that afternoon even though her stomach ached for something warm and nutritious. Even when Lavender Brown stepped into the room to ask her if she was alright Ginny just moaned a yes.

"Neville has been worried about you all day, Ginny." Lavender's sing song voice cut through her like a knife. The girl had no idea how lucky she was to be so cheery during a time when Ginny felt nothing but black pressing pain.

"Tell him I'm fine…really I am. Just trying to keep myself from getting worse so I can finish off my detentions."

"You sure? I mean we were supposed to have another meeting tonight weren't we?" It sounded as though someone had arrived at Lavenders side, and Ginny pressed her eyes shut.

She wasn't much for dealing with anyone. " Tomorrow. Tell Neville I'll speak with him about it all tomorrow." They'd have to speak about the plan tomorrow if they were ever going to retrieve that sword the Carrows and Lestrange were so keen on getting.

"Ok then." She began to jingle the doorknob. " Get well Ginny." The door clicked behind her, and Ginny welcomed the silence again.

Dinner past soon afterwards, and the sweet smells from the Great Hall seemed to waft up towards her open window mocking her. She couldn't go down there. With Zabini sitting smugly in that room she couldn't do it. It was hard enough to face Malfoy that evening.

Of all the ridiculous things to happen to her she had to go and get involved with Draco Malfoy. But she wasn't involved with him. It was more like a mutual civil thing they had going. Still it didn't make up for the things he had done for her last night. If this had been any other time in any other year would Malfoy have stepped in and helped her? Would he have risked his own neck in order to hide her behind that blasted mirror? She bit down on her lower lip and stuffed her face into her pillow again.

She wasn't a stupid blind girl. Regardless of how awful Malfoy was towards her family she couldn't deny him his charm and good looks. He had that refined sort of demeanor about him that sent chills down the spine. Most girls in her year and those above her swooned madly over the pompous git. In fact she had overheard quite a few of them speak first hand about his slick moves and cunning appeal. He was known for having any girl he wanted in Hogwarts, and Ginny often found herself disgusted by that. Now she suddenly seemed fascinated. How could one blood thirsty bastard get the attention of so many witches? Why was he suddenly so keen on helping her out? It was evident that Malfoy had lost some of his fouler qualities, but the fact was he was still a manipulating Slytherin git, and Ginny couldn't put her finger on it.

The day had seemed to slip by so fast that before she had a chance to analyze the blonde boy any further she noticed the time. Detention was waiting for her, and so was the bloke who had saved her arse more then twice this term.

Sliding back the curtains to her four poster, Ginny leaned over and snapped open the latches on her trunk. Something about Malfoy pressed this desire to keep Harry close to her, and she quickly removed a photo of him and shoved it in her pocket. She slammed the trunk shut again and rummaged through a pile of clean robes on her chair. She looked like hell, but who was she trying to impress. Certainly not Malfoy. Though she noticed that she had looked into the mirror in her room almost three times before deciding to remove her clothes and shower quickly.

Five minutes past six Ginny was on her way down to the Storeroom. She was wearing fresh clean clothes, and had used a charm to place a slight curl in her hair. The gashes and bruises on her body were more prominent now that she showered, and a nice bluish yellow circle had risen right beneath her right eye extending down to her jaw. A battle wound to say the very least. Her back ached with a pain that was going to haunt her for the next few weeks, and she half wondered if she could write home to her mother and have some sort of potion sent to her. Of course it would probably be confiscated by the Carrows but it was worth a shot.

Her feet carried her so quickly to the Storeroom that she hadn't noticed she had arrived until she past by the door. She paused, looked back over her shoulder, and then stared at the wood barrier between her and Malfoy.

What was she supposed to say to him? Even if she did thank him for what he did he wouldn't appreciate it. She could almost imagine the smirk of superiority that would probably show up on his face, but then wondered if that expression would be different because of the nice black and blue she was sporting. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and reached into her pocket.

The photo of Harry smiled up at her with that usual boyish grin she adored. An eerie chill came over her as though Harry was actually there, but she cast it aside. Harry was a million miles away, and he was not going to be there to help her get through her battles. But Merlin did it feel like he was watching her at that very moment.

Shoving the photo back into her pocket, Ginny stepped up to the door and turned the brass knob. She was almost too afraid to enter, but she stuck her head in first allowing her hair to cross her face and cover the bruise.

Malfoy was still on his side of the Storeroom stacking what looked like a box of newt liver. He paused mid movement and stared down at her. Ginny felt his eyes bore into her skin, and instantly a blush crept to her cheeks. Suddenly she felt incredibly guilty for bringing the photo of Harry with her. Here she was blushing over Harry's enemy with the photo of Harry in her pocket. She was an awful person.

When the silence became far too much for her she brought up her gaze and forced a weak smile. "Hey."

Malfoy placed the box down on the shelf and made his way down the ladder towards her. "I knew it would bruise." He was looking at the side of her face, and Ginny noticed that he was doing his best to avoid her eyes.

"Yeah well it's less painful then my other battle wounds." She tried to press a short laugh, but he looked at her sternly. "What?"

"Nothing." He removed his wand from his pocket, " let me see that gash on your stomach."

Ginny felt her eyes go a bit wide. "What? Why? You healed it last night. It's fine…just sore."

"I want to be sure that it's not going to be infected. Plus…" He removed a small vial from his pocket. "I found this on the last shelf. It's a type of pain absorbing paste. I've seen Pomfrey use it on Goyle before" he waved the vial in front of her face, but still refused to look at her.

Ginny chomped down on her lower lip. Getting rid of the pain sounded completely inviting, but the thought of unbuttoning her shirt to let Malfoy look at her gash just seemed like overstepping so many boundaries. It was one thing when he had walked in on her last night, but to relive that sort of embarrassment again might as well kill her.

"I can't." She squeaked out.

"You can't what?" He arched an eyebrow as he uncorked the vial.

"I don't want you to look at the wound. It's fine. Just give me the vial and I'll d it myself in my dormitory." She held out her hand for the green slimy paste.

"Are you mad? It needs to be checked." There was an eagerness in his voice that startled Ginny, and she turned away from him.

"Look it was bad enough last night that you saw me like that. I'm not much in the mood for round number two of pathetic little red head. Get it?" Her tone had risen slightly towards the end, and she closed her eyes to fight off the slight pounding that was beginning to rise in her head.

Malfoy scowled and shoved the vial into her hand. "You are being an arrogant stupid Gryffindor." He turned, and began to move up the ladder again.

Ginny felt the weight of the vial in her hand and placed it securely in her pocket. There was a tidal wave of emotions crashing madly against her skull, and without thinking she turned towards him and spoke. "Why did you do it? Why did you help me out when you could have easily disposed of me? You never liked me Malfoy. You have very openly stated that you despised my family. Why go to the trouble to help me when you could have finally kicked me when I was down?"

Malfoy paused on the step and then after a moment returned to the floor again. " I don't know how many times I need to spell this out for you, but I'm not going to repeat myself. So you think about it for a moment, Weasley, and then get back to me." He finally moved his eyes to greet her own and caught a glimpse of small pearly tears sliding out beneath her closed eyelids.

There it was again. The damn unnerving emotion that seemed to capture him every time he saw her like this. Vulnerable. Alone. It took strength not to reach out and brush the tears from her face. He didn't know what it was about her that made him do it. For a very brief instant he had wanted to utilize the opportunity to hurt her. He could have touched Potter in a way that no one else could have. Get the heart. It's the weakest point of the body. But he couldn't hurt her. Not when she was so damaged and defeated. He had wanted to kneel beside her and cradle her until the pain ceased to exist. What did it mean to him? Surely it could mean a lot of different things, but why suddenly of all people did he feel this unbelievable attachment to her. Like he needed to save her. Like for once he needed to be the hero of some damn fairy tale and ride in on his horse to her rescue. Why?

"_It just makes you human, and that is not such an awful trait."_

Her voice cut through his head like a hot steal blade. The things she had said to him that night poured into his veins. She saw things in him that no one else had ever given him credit for, and maybe that was the biggest reason of all. He needed her approval because she saw something decent in him. Something he had never before been.

"I did it because I had to." He sighed, "I did it because despite what everyone thinks I'm not a womanizer. I'm not heartless…and I couldn't bare seeing you lie there the way you were." It was truthful. More truthful then he had ever been with anyone. He could have gone on to tell her that he did it because of the stabbing feeling in his chest when he saw her, but he kept that to himself. Something in the back of his head was still refusing to let him admit what he thought was trying to escape.

Ginny brought her head up and stared into the silver blue eyes. They were so cold, so vacant, and yet there was a small flicker of truth she could make out. She wiped at her tears, "This is so hard." She choked, and managed to avoid hiccupping.

Malfoy didn't know what to do. He wasn't used to comforting anyone, but something in his gut was compelling him to do so. He reached out rather rigidly and patted her arm with an awkward stiffness. "Its war…it's supposed to be hard."

His fingers on her skin made her shudder, and she stifled the small chuckle at his feeble attempt to make her feel better. "How did you know?"

Malfoy glanced down at her puzzled. "How did I know what?"

She swallowed hard almost to afraid to speak the name. "How did you know where Blaise was? What he was doing? How did you find me, and why were you in that abandoned corridor?"

Malfoy froze, his hand sitting limp upon her shoulder. "I saw Blaise earlier." He mumbled out, unsure of where to go with the story. The truth would surely place another gapping hole between them. "And I saw him heading down the stairs towards the corridor…"

Ginny looked up at him quizzically. "But how did you know to follow him? Or if you didn't know what brought you to that corridor? It doesn't make sense. I've been trying to replay everything in my head again, but it all happened so quickly."

Malfoy stepped away from her, the bruise on her face becoming to painful to look at. "I spoke with Blaise earlier in the week."

"This has nothing to do with last-"

"It was about you." He ran his hands through his hair, his back now turned fully towards her.

"What?" The tremble in her voice caused him to curse.

"Blaise overheard us a few weeks ago in here. Heard us laughing and thought we were…well….shagging." He made a noise almost to sound repulsed at the idea though it was forced. "He confronted me about it. Said that he always thought you were a dirty Bloodtraitor, but still wanted to try and have a go. I - I told him not to be stupid, but Blaise never really thinks things through rationally."

"So you knew about this?" Her voice was low, the tone venomous.

He still refused to look at her. He could make out every disgusted emotion hanging on her words. "I didn't think he'd do it, but I kept close tabs on him anyway. Nothing happened for a few weeks, and I thought he forgot about it."

She was across the room in a flash, her hand jetting out and forcing him to face her. "And then what? You just decided not to let me in on any of this? Thought it was a laugh did you? And here I thought-"

"No!" His voice had risen so much that she stepped away startled. "No…I just didn't think he was going to do anything, and I wasn't going to tell you just so you'd be on edge every waking second."

Ginny folded her arms across her chest, wincing slightly at the pressure from her bruises. "You son of a -"

"You never showed up for detention last night." He lowered his tone, "And I knew Blaise had skipped on dinner so I went out looking for you. I was going to tell you."

Ginny felt as though she was looking into the face of a man she had never truly known. Every hate filled word, rude gesture, and biting belittlement seemed to melt away with his confession. Could this truly be the same wizard that had been keen on her dying in the Chamber of Secrets? Could it be the same wizard who had let in groups of DeathEaters last term? Could it be the wizard who had told her that she was a useless waste of life that didn't deserve to be a witch? Ginny stared at him in silence, her tears finding their eay to her cheeks again.

"But he had found me already." She choked out.

"I was going to tell you, but couldn't find you. God I even asked that Lovegood girl where you were." He sneered. "But I saw Blaise come up a staircase not too long after that, I saw him bound by rope and bloody messed up. ..and I knew. I knew right then what had happened, and I-" He shook his head. He thought of all the witches he had seen tortured and killed in his home. The way it made him sick to see their innocent eyes drained of dignity and life.

Ginny moved so quickly that when her arms wrapped around his midsection she gave a startled gasp. Yet there she was hugging Draco Malfoy as though they had been friends for many years. Malfoy on the other hand stood so rigid that Ginny though he may crack straight down the middle. Her face pushed into his chest and she fought back the urge to cry hopelessly into his robe. She felt his arms move slowly, and soon enough she felt them press against her back practically pushing her even further into him.

"Thank you." She breathed into his clothes, the smell of his cologne drifting to her nose.

Malfoy merely grunted. He was doing his best to keep suppressing the gnawing feeling in his stomach.

"You baffle me…you know that?" She pulled away slightly, her eyes shining with traces of tears.

His arms went limp again, and he stepped away from her quickly. "Why?"

"You are a complete head case, Malfoy. I can't figure you out for the life of me. One minute you're a git, and the next…well…" She trailed off. "I just think you sell yourself short is all. You've got some good in there…somewhere…" She tapped against his chest. "I know you do. You just need to let yourself acknowledge it sometimes."

Malfoy lowered his eyes again and nodded. In the dim light of the Storeroom she looked very pretty. Even with the yellow bruise on her face she still gave off such a strong beautiful presence that he forced himself to look away from her.

They worked through the rest of their detention time in mild light conversation. Every now and then Draco saying something that caused Ginny to laugh. She boasted about her Quidditch skills, and he gloated that he was always a better player. The mention of the previous night had run dry from conversation, and neither acknowledged the fact that both were stealing glances at each other randomly.

It was nearly nine when they finished for the evening, and Ginny began placing her things away to prepare herself for tomorrow. She stood, brushed the dust off her clothes, and turned to bid Malfoy a goodnight. He was standing so close to her that she could feel his breath hit her cheek.

"Are you ready?" He was fixing the clasp on his robe.

"For?" She felt extremely uncomfortable with him so close to her face. Perhaps it was the invasion of her space, or maybe it was the odd jump her stomach gave when she noticed the way his bottom lip pouted out just a bit further then his upper lip.

"I'm going to walk you back to your common room, or at least half way. I don't fancy myself getting caught by one of your lot."

Ginny gawked. "You don't need to. I'm capable of getting there myself."

Draco scoffed again. "Oh yeah? Which injury should we examine first?" He pressed lightly on her shoulder and she cursed at him.

"Fine, but you are only walking me to the staircase. I can walk a flight and get to the portrait." She spun on her heel and opened the door.

Behind her Malfoy chuckled hoarsely. Together they slipped silently through the corridors on their way up to Gryffindor tower. Every now and then Ginny let her eyes slip slightly to the side to see what he was doing. Only once did she catch him staring at her, and she turned away blushing furiously. The eerie candle light on the corridor wall sent a shiver down her spine, and she quickly looked behind her to see if anyone was following them.

"Are you going?"

His voice popped up beside her so suddenly that she jumped in place.

"What?" Ginny turned her eyes towards him and saw that he was gesturing up the staircase that led to Gryffindor Tower. How had they arrived there so quickly? "Oh right." She began up the steps, but paused on the third. "You ought to keep quiet about walking me back, ya know. We wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

He snorted back a laugh. "I reckon they wouldn't dare think it in the first place. Us together is a bleeding joke, Weaselette. Don't flatter yourself."

Ginny shot him a look, but softened her features when she caught a sincere look upon his own face. "Night Malfoy." She didn't bother waiting to hear him reply. She moved up the staircase without looking back.

Draco stood there for a long while after she left. He was waiting for her to call for him. Waiting for something horrible to happen so he could jump in and do something good again. The stillness in the air finally convinced him that she had made it to the common room, and with another though he imagined her getting herself ready for bed. Running a hand across his brow he groaned at the swelling that was beginning to move from his chest down to his stomach. He wasn't going to admit it.

Ginny slipped out of her robes and hung them loosely on the back of her trunk. A year ago she would have liked to strangle the blonde headed pompous git. Now there seemed to be this feeling that kept drawing her to him. She moved her fingers down to the loop of her jeans and drew back when something pointed brushed her thumb. Curious she reached inside and pulled out the photo of Harry she had placed in there earlier. The photo had always been a source of comfort and familiarity to her. The way he smiled up at her in the photo made it feel like she was standing right beside him again.

Now when she looked down at it she wondered what he truly looked like. Was he cold and worn away from being on the run? Had the cold nights been kind to him, or was he somewhere huddled beneath a tree shivering for warmth. Was his smile the same? Did his hair still stick up in the usual places or was it matted down by rain? She studied the picture almost wishing herself to feel something. The only thing she felt was the burned memory of Malfoy hugging her in the Storeroom. The way he gently rested his fingers on her to see if she was alright. Perhaps she felt like this because they were tangible things. She could reach out and touch Malfoy, but the photo of Harry was as lifeless and ordinary as a normal piece of parchment.

She placed the photo down on her night table and continued changing into her nightclothes. Each night before she fell asleep she often thought of Harry, and on many occasions tears had managed to take her off to some sort of dream land. It was the first night that no tear graced her features. Instead she placed her head on the pillow and found herself longing for the scent of mahogany and spice.

* * *

Poor Ginny is so confused. She'll start to figure things out in the next few chapters.

This chapter features lyrics from **Rejazz** by**Regina Spektor**

I do of course appreciate every one of you for reading, and would love you even more if you take a moment and review. Reviews make me smile and also help me update faster.

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Cheers!


	9. Trouble Sleeping

Let's just jump right into the chapter, shall we? Stay tuned for a brief note at the end...

* * *

_Xx Some kind of therapy_

_Is all I need_

_Please believe me_

_Some instant remedy_

_That can cure me completely_

_Could it be that I'm suffering_

_Because I'll never give in?_

_Won't say that I'm falling in love_

_Tell me I don't seem myself_

_Couldn't I blame something else?_

_Just don't say I'm falling in love xX_

**Chapter 9**

**Trouble Sleeping**

"You can't actually expect that to work." Neville cast her a sideways glance on their way down to the Great Hall. "Its going to take a bit more planning then just stampeding into that office. It's not going to be that easy." He shook his head lightly from left to right.

Neville was sporting another black-eye. A yellowish gash along his cheek was still crusty from whatever spell had hit him. Ginny couldn't bear looking at him without wincing slightly about her own wounds. Apparently the Carrows had once again found a way to take out their anger on Neville. Ginny had warned him that it wasn't bright to mess with two people who were obviously insane, but Neville merely smirked every time. Something about the notion of giving people hope had slipped from his mouth, but Ginny let it slide in one ear and out the other. Something about it reminded her of Harry, and for some strange reason she didn't want to think of him. Thinking of Harry only brought about more pain and anguish, and Ginny had bigger things to worry about. She needed to look out for herself.

The sunlight crept slightly through the tall windows in the corridor, and Ginny turned her face towards them. The sunlight seemed like a stranger to her lately, and she promised herself she'd make time to see the grounds later that afternoon. Perhaps she'd run down and say hello to Hagrid. She knew the Carrow's were cruelest to him, and wanted to be sure that he was all right.

"Of course it will work. It is so simple that it just can't fail, and can you please let me clean that cut. It's making my stomach churn." She scrunched her nose as they moved down the stairs.

"If anyone catches you mending it they'll have your head next." He pointed towards the end of the corridor where Snape had slipped silently out of view.

"Well I rather think I can handle the punishment if it lessens the pain I feel when I look at you." She felt the corner of her mouth twitch with a smile, and Neville let out a small laugh beside her.

"I happen to like these scars." Neville touched the one that spread down his cheek. "Makes me feel like I'm doing something worth while here."

Ginny rolled her eyes as the came out into the entrance hall. " Yes, well you better be sure that the things that you do plan on doing correspond with what I have planned for the D.A."

"I still don't think it's a good idea. You know that the others wont like the idea of screaming anarchy and charging through the corridors." Neville tapped his hands against the side of his legs without looking at her. He already knew she was glaring at him.

"Well we don't need them then, do we?" She shrugged. " We can do it ourselves…and we have Luna. Merlin knows she won't turn down a D.A. extravaganza."

"We aren't going to a party, Gin. This is serious." He moved to stop her, but she kept walking with a defiant look in her eye. Neville knew there was no way swaying her ideas. Once she had planned something she was going to do it. " Fine...I'll do it. " He groaned, and continued in stride with her down to the Great Hall.

"Good." She grinned.

A yawn slipped over her lips, but she wiped it away with the back of her hand. She had slept surprisingly well the previous evening. Something about the comfort she had felt in her dreams kept the usual midnight wakeup at bay. She wasn't sure what she had dreamed about. It was the first night in a long while where she couldn't recall who or what mixed into her thoughts. Still it had been a good night, and Ginny looked forward to another peaceful nap during her free period late that afternoon. If she was lucky she planned on heading out to the pitch that afternoon for a quick ride. Flying in the crisp air always seemed to help her think a little bit better, and with the current plan of attack she had to discuss with the DA, a nice walk seemed necessary.

Turning towards the Great Hall Ginny paused abruptly in her tracks when she heard a burst of familiar laughter coming from behind her.

"You all right, Gin?" Neville had stopped beside her, and following her gaze, looked over his shoulder.

The laughter from behind them came to a sudden halt when Ginny cleared her throat. It was a bitter exchange as she stared into the faces of four people she was less then thrilled to see. It only worsened as they grew closer, and Ginny caught a better glimpse of their faces. Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle all seemed to sport the same knowing smirk. It was only when Pansy stepped aside that Ginny got the full glimpse of Blaise standing there. That awful hollow feeling suddenly returned to her stomach, and she grabbed Neville's hand involuntarily. The group of Slytherins chuckled again, and Ginny squeezed Neville's hand even tighter.

With a pleading tug she brought him inside, the knowing snickering of the Slytherins echoing wildly in her head.

"What was that about?" Neville quirked a brow as they sat at the end of the Gryffindor table. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil shifted slightly to the side to make more room.

"What?" She cast him a look that distinctly said she didn't want to talk about it. She could practically hear Lavender and Parvati drooling over the possible gossip that was about to be spoken.

"Nothing I suppose…" Neville's features faltered slightly, but he didn't press the issue any further. One thing he had learned about Ginny was to let it die when she wanted it. Instead he reached across and grabbed a muffin and a few sausages.

Ginny couldn't bear to stomach anything. Had Blaise told the other Slytherins what he had done to her? She knew that Malfoy had witnessed it all, but she hadn't counted on Blaise spilling the whole entire thing to his housemates. She had figured her would have been to angry with the way things worked out. Casting another glance at him, Ginny let out a defeated sigh. Blaise Zabini was not one to falter so damn easily. She should have known that.

A glass of pumpkin juice was passed to her by Neville, and Ginny took it without offering any thanks. Neville wasn't the type to harp on it though. Instead he went back to eating allowing Ginny to think over things. Malfoy wouldn't dare tell anyone what happened. She knew that much. Something about the way he had treated her back in the dungeon room spoke thousands to her. Not only that, but the incident in the storeroom had solidified her trust in the blonde Slytherin. It was a notion that would have normally made her laugh till she was sick, but there was something genuine in the way he looked at her that night.

She felt the hair on her neck rise slightly, and she looked up only to see Blaise staring back at her from the Slytherin table. He smirked, and Ginny immediately dropped her eyes back down to her sausages. The only consolation to the brief glimpse was the fresh black-eye that Blaise had been sporting. Quickly she glanced towards the other end of Slytherin table, but noticed Malfoy wasn't at breakfast.

Draco sat perfectly still in the plush leather chair by the fire. The Slytherin common room was still deathly quiet in the morning hours, but regardless of how droopy his eyelids became he was not going to fall asleep. He had certain business to take care of, and he was going to take care of it before breakfast. The earlier it was done the less likely he was to be blamed for his actions, and Draco knew that he would rise early. Zabini had a tendency to get up and avoid the usual rush down to the Great hall. In his first year he had cursed the taller boy when he woke up the entire dorm just to get into his robes for a seven in the morning breakfast. Draco and Blaise had always been on decent terms since then, but they weren't exactly best mates. If he had a choice Malfoy preferred to be left alone then to hang around with Blaise. This was one of the rare occasions he was actually seeking the boy.

As the morning fire began to dwindle to its last burning ember Draco was sure he heard movement coming from the dormitories. Sure enough there was a shuffle on the boys staircase, and the tired face of Zabini appeared in the doorway. Draco didn't move at first. He sat perfectly still until Blaise had just about made it to his chair. He stood abruptly. Zabini gave a start and grabbed at his chest.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy. You could have warned me." He let his hand fall down to his sides.

"Mmmhm." Malfoy shot another glance towards the staircase. It was quiet again. No one would be down in the common room for quite awhile.

"You are up early." Zabini shifted in place, but seemed to know that Draco had purposely waited for him. "What's it this time, Malfoy? " His tone was cold, and Draco almost caught a hint of bitter jealousy.

"Things need to be taken care of at my earliest convenience." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and crossed the room.

Zabini sized him up for a moment, but immediately backed away when he met Draco's eyes "Oh?".

Draco didn't bother tip toeing around the subject. He was never one to play with his food much. That was something his Aunt Bellatrix enjoyed doing. Thrusting himself forward, Draco grabbed Zabini by the shirt. "Keep away from her." His voice hissed so low that Draco felt a rumble deep within his chest.

"Away from who? Let go of my shirt, Malfoy." Zabini yanked back but went nowhere.

"You know who I'm talking about." His grip tightened on Zabini's shirt. "Don't touch her."

Zabini suddenly smirked knowingly. "Oh you mean Red? Touchy about it then, Malfoy?" The hint of triumph in his voice caused Malfoy to sneer again. "Yeah well I asked and you said you didn't have your name branded on her."

"Well I lied." Malfoy wound one arm back and nailed Zabini square in the face. He wasn't a great fighter, but the feel of Zabini's face beneath his fist was exhilarating. Every ounce of anger he had been dealing with the last few months seemed to seep through his skin and into that one quick punch. " I don't like my things played with. I was never into that whole sharing thing when I was younger..."

"Fuck!" His hands were already covering his face, and he stumbled backwards to keep away from Draco's reach.

" It was the whole only child syndrome. Never really accepted the concept of letting other people touch my things." He stepped away from Zabini, his back turned only slightly so not to offer the bloke a chance for a counter attack.

"She's filth anyway, Malfoy. Its cruel to play with your prey before its slaughtered." Blaise wiped the corner of his mouth, a tiny bit of blood hanging from the corner like a pathetic corpse.

"Which means what?" Draco drew himself up again.

"That little Miss Red has no chance of survival" He snorted. "You know as well as I that once this war has taken hold of everyone all those opposed to the Dark Lord will perish. Your little toy will be one of the first. She's a blood traitor, Malfoy. You may as well just finish her off yourself."

An unbelievable boil of fury found its way under Dracos skin. It happened so fast that he didn't even register it until a moment later. He was on top of Blaise, his fists pounding so quickly that blood drew round the dark boys lips and brow. He yelled in protest, but Draco kept swinging until his own fingers gleamed with droplets of sweet red blood.

"Draco..."

Malfoy fueled one last blow to Zabini's face before extracting himself from the body. He never was much of a physical being, but something about the situation had roused him. Something about the red headed blood traitor made him furious with Zabini. Of course he bit his lip to keep from saying what he thought, but it was till there. Unlike any other witch or wizard, Ginny had believed him when he said he had changed. At the moment it seemed too menial, and Draco found himself quickly moving out of the common room before Zabini could retort. He needed to get away from everything that reminded him of her, and the only place he could think of was his spot on the grounds.

He didn't register how quickly his feet carried him. It was less than a few minutes that he reached his desired spot. Somehow though the sun had moved up past the trees which meant he had been wandering across the grounds for nearly an hour. He'd skip classes for the day. No one would mind his absence, and he didn't want to deal with the questioning looks from his housemates.

The air was chilly, but he wrapped his cloak around him to deny the wind from entry. Parting the branches, Draco stepped inside and surveyed the area. It didn't seem as though Pansy had come back looking for him. She often left little clues like hair ribbons or food if she had been there. The spot was as dark and dingy as ever, and Draco eased himself into the makeshift hideaway with a sigh.

What had made him do it?

He slid down along the tall tree that enveloped him, and closed his eyes. There had to be a certain logical explanation, but all he could think of was his own male pride. That just wasn't it. Whatever it was that he was denying sat like solid bricks upon his soul, and still he could not manage to shift them from their place. Someone had mentioned that this sort of feeling was a sign of pure emotion and love. Malfoy scoffed at the thought. Love a Weasley? Now that was something to get angry about.

"But you still defend her." His voice was so monotone and callous that he barely recognized it.

Yet it was the truth. He hated Bloodtraitors. He hated muggle lovers. He hated anyone who adored Potter. She was a combination of all three. There she was like poison in his soul, and he could do nothing about it. His mother had told him that one day he would understand what it felt like to care about someone other than himself. He never believed that day would come, but there it was in the shape of a tiny little red head whom he had hated all his life.

"No." His eyes drifted up towards the high branches and he cursed. Suddenly he hated her for believing in him. Suddenly he hated her for making him feel things that he swore he would never feel. The mixture of passion and confusion whipped through him so rapidly that it made his stomach clench, and he spit at the ground in defeat. He'd make himself see her as just a blood traitor. He'd force himself to forget the things she had said about him!

_You'll take one good look at her and fall again._

Malfoy dropped his face into his knees and stifled a snort. If only his precious father could see him now. What would dear Lucius say about his weak son?

"Pathetic." He murmured, his back sinking deep into the bark of the tree.

"I don't think you are pathetic."

Her voice caused him to stiffen slightly. For a moment he had believed that Pansy had followed him again, but it only took a tick of a moment for him to realize that it was Ginny. He stared up at her, his mouth slightly gapping as she pushed the branches aside and approached him.

"Did you follow me here?" He narrowed his eyebrows while propping his arms upon his knee.

Ginny rolled her eyes, a short scoff parting through her lips. "Get bent, Malfoy. I didn't follow you out here like a little lost pet. I saw you walking the grounds and called out to you but you didn't answer. I was behind you the entire time calling out your name, and you kept on walking like you were in some sort of zombie. "

" What you just said sounds an awful lot like stalking." He pushed himself up from the ground and folded his arms across his chest. "What do you want anyway?"

Ginny toyed with the hem of her cloak. Why had she followed him all the way across the grounds? She was only going to ask him if he had been the reason for Zabini's face, but once she had followed him halfway across the grass she felt like it was something she just needed to do. It was almost like the place was drawing her in with some unusual power. Ginny sighed, and kicked at the ground.

"You hit Blaise." It wasn't even a question, and Draco picked up on it immediately.

"I know I did. Obviously you had a pretty good idea yourself." He smirked.

"Well I wanted to know why you did it." She puffed her chest out slightly, though the rapid rise and fall of her breathing seemed to make her look weak.

Draco frowned, his hands moving into his pockets to keep them from doing anything stupid. "Zabini needs a reminder every now and then about things. It doesn't concern you so forget about it." He shrugged.

Ginny bit down on her lip. "You're lying."

He gave a short laugh. "So what if I am, Weaselette. He had it coming, all right? I'm not a bloody saint, but no wizard should ever touch a witch like that. It isn't right." A funny lump had formed in his throat, and the voice in his head had suddenly chimed in; _No one should ever touch you like that_, though he kept that statement to himself.

"You are just going to get in the way if you keep doing this. I can't have you get in the way." Part of her was talking about her fight with the D.A., but another part of her seemed to be dancing along a line she dared not even think about.

"What the hell does this have to do with, Zabini? Hell, Weasley! I saved your pathetic arse. I could have easily walked away and let Merlin knows what happen, but I didn't. For once I deserve a little bloody credit, and I have I gotten it? No! And do you know why?" He paused. "because I still have to pretend that I'm a big bad Death Eater that wants to sit and beg at the heels of the Dark Lord. So shut up and show some gratitude since your about the only person who can grant me some."

"You don't have to…I mean I am grateful and all…but I need to do things…"

"What's the real reason you followed me out her, Weasley?"

Ginny swallowed hard. When had her throat become so dry? " You don't have to fight battles for me." Her eyes flickered up into his, and she caught a brief hint of worry. "I know you don't think I'm capable of a lot of things, Malfoy, but there are some things you need to sacrifice yourself for. The greater good, and all that stuff. I have to do the things I do because it's the right thing, not because I'm trying to play some hero."

"No, that's Potter's job." He spit on the ground, and turned away from her.

"That isn't fair." Biting back a sudden jerk of tears, Ginny stepped forward to advance on him. "Harry is doing what he has to because that's the way it has to be. Learn to make sacrifices sometime Malfoy, and stop pining over your own bloody arse." There was a long breath of silence, and Ginny quirked her eyebrow. "No retort?"

"I'm begging you not to do anything stupid, Weasley. I don't beg for anyone…ever…. but this one time I am asking you not to do it." His head drooped to one side, and he turned to face her. " Don't risk yourself over something so stupid…"

Ginny felt her cheeks grow hot. "It isn't stupid, Malfoy! It's what needs to be done in order to help other people. Can't you get that through your skull? This war isn't going to be as easy as a fist to the face…its going to take blood and death…and…."

He was suddenly gripping her shoulders so tightly that she squealed from the shock. "You are going to get yourself killed!"

"And what do you care? Hm? When did you suddenly become my wizard in shining armor? If you won't help me then you are against me…."She tried yanking herself away from his grasp, but his fingers pressed deeper into her skin.

"War is not a game, Ginny. War is a dark disturbing hell hole that drains you and then devours your soul. Don't get caught up in something that's going to ruin you…promise me. Promise me you won't go looking for stupid trouble so I don't need to come and save your arse again. Promise me…" He eased his grip.

Ginny bit hard on her lower lip to keep herself from crying. She wanted to lash out and belt him across the face, but his words had rendered her lifeless. Harry had wanted to protect her, but he left to go out and pursue whatever it was that he needed to do. He had left Ginny to rot away in Hogwarts completely unaware of anything that was going on outside the walls, and yet there was Malfoy. Malfoy coming in and making her promise that she wouldn't do anything stupid. Malfoy storming in and saving her from Zabini. Malfoy tending to her injuries, and Malfoy telling her that he would help her again if she needed it. It was too much. Her head swelled with unidentifiable emotions, and the longer she looked up at him the more a very horrible desire flushed through her.

"I can't promise." She stepped away quickly before she did something utterly stupid.

Draco sighed and wiped his hand across his face. "You Gryffindors just never know when to call it a day, do you? You are going to be killed." This time the words came out flat and truthful almost as though he expected her to drop dead right there.

"I've got to do something, Malfoy. I can't watch students get tortured every day…I can't stand to think what is happening out there to my family, my friends and to …" She stopped, and drew her fingers up to her lips.

"And to the precious Chosen One." Malfoy folded his arms across his chest. "Some savior he has been. How many self righteous Gryffindors have been punished here because of him? He can't even protect his bloody girlfriend where he is." When is slipped out of his mouth he quickly shook his head and added, "probably busy finding new girlfriends he can impress with his whole 'I'm the boy who lived' sob story."

Ginny's lip trembled slightly. He was doing it on purpose. She could tell from the twitchy look in his eyes. Still the thought of Harry with another girl tore something from her, but she managed to keep herself from shedding any tears.

"I'm not his girlfriend, Malfoy. We broke up before he left….besides…he …he doesn't have time for other girlfriends while he's out there." She took a breath. "So you can stop trying to make Harry look bad in front of me. I'm not some silly girl pining away for him anyway…there are other wizards around here that I could easily fall for." Once the words were out she gasped slightly. "Though even I don't have the time for silly fantasies."

Malfoy's shoulders arched back stiffly at her words, and he turned to face her fully. Her eyes bore back into his causing his step to falter somewhat. He was striding over to her with such vigor that he had forgotten to take his hands out of his pockets. His presence would have looked a lot stronger if he had removed his hands, but that urge for doing something he'd regret was still there, and he didn't want to risk it. Instead he stopped merely an inch from her, and peered down at her tiny form.

"I'm not going to help you do anything stupid, Weasley, but I want you to take this." Finally, after a moment, he pulled out clear stone and held it in his hand.

Ginny could feel his breath on her face, and somewhere down in her toes she felt an unusual sensation. It was as though a thousand filibuster fireworks erupted around her feet. When he removed the object from his pocket, Ginny leaned over and examined it. "What is it?"

Malfoy grabbed her hand, held it for a moment, and then dropped the little stone into it. " It's a piece of charmed foe glass that was shaped into a ball." He dropped his hand from hers and immediately shoved it back into his pocket. "It's charmed because it burns hot and gives you a ten second early warning that one of your foe's may be approaching." He was glad that it had not burned hot for her while he was standing there. Ginny seemed to have noticed this too, and glanced from the clear stone to his face.

"And it works?"

"My father has never given me anything that does not work."

Ginny rolled her eyes, " Of course he hasn't."

Malfoy sighed. "I wish you weren't such a Gryffindor. You could be completely safe just sitting low for awhile."

Ginny clutched the stone briefly before shoving it into her pocket. "And I'd also be a complete coward. I can't do it Malfoy. I just can't."

"Can you at least tell me what you plan on doing?" He was practically touching her now, the flowery scent she often wore reaching his nose and taunting him.

She tilted her face up to greet his, only now realizing how easy it would be for him to just bend over and kiss her. She squeaked, and brought one free hand up to tug her cloak around her. Kiss her? My God what was she even thinking? "Thanks for this, Malfoy." She stepped back quickly, "and Zabini…thanks for Zabini."

Her legs carried her out of the trees faster then any firebolt could have. What was she thinking? Malfoy kissing her? It was ludicrous! It was dastardly! It was something she wouldn't even wish on her greatest enemy! Well, perhaps that was pushing it a bit too far. Malfoy wasn't at all bad looking, and he did have that odd charm about him that seemed to get right under her skin…but he was Malfoy. He was so wrong. So very very wrong. So perfectly utterly wrong.

"Oh my Merlin." She brought her hand up to her face, and wiped her brow with the back of her hand.

Quickly she looked back over her shoulder in fear that he may be following her, but all her eyes came across was the empty grounds. She turned and ran again. Pummeling through groups of students in the corridors, and by Professors on their way to classes. Professor Flitwick had stopped her halfway to Gryffindor tower, and she quickly told him that she wasn't feeling well. Her legs moved with methodical twists and turns until she reached the Gryffindor tower. She didn't need to say the password as the door swung open to let out Seamus and Neville. Ginny brushed past them, Seamus muttering something about being rude, and stormed up into her dorm room.

She was alone which was good. Her body managed to find the edge of her bed, and she sunk back into the inviting blankets, her eyes fixed across the room on the mirror just over the communal vanity. She didn't recognize herself. What she had just thought of, what she had just said, it was all so damn foolish. How dare she ever consider anything but Harry? Her stomach wretched again, and she turned on her side, her head falling back and hitting the pillow. And still she wondered what it would be like to be that close to Malfoy. He was so different from Harry that Ginny wondered what his kiss would be like. Harry's kisses were often soft and time consuming. He poured every ounce of care and romanticism into it. Malfoy lived through passion and fury. Ginny could almost imagine the rough lustful kisses he could give her. Almost involuntarily her eyes closed, and she could see herself with Malfoy after a Quidditch game. He was dressed in his Quidditch attire, but his robe was partially open revealing the toned muscles beneath. He wasn't perfectly fit, but he was confident to show off what he had. The robe fell around his legs, and Ginny was pressed up against a bare chest and tight black Quidditch trousers. The lump in her throat was replaced by a shameless desire of her own, and she thrust herself at him without thinking.

"Ms. Wheezy…"

Ginny's heart stopped before their lips even met. Someone was in her room. Her eyes flickered open, and two big round eyes stared back.

"Dobby?" Ginny pushed herself upright, her heart suddenly slowing to a painful thud. "What is it? Has something happened to Harry? Have you seen him?"

Dobby's pointy little face shook quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you, Misses Wheezy, Dobby did not." He wrung his tiny little hands together. " Dobby wishes to see if you need something. Harry Potter asked Dobby to help you, he did."

"Oh…" Just like that everything that she had been thinking about Malfoy came crashing down. How could she even think of another man? Her breakfast squirmed in her stomach, and she rapidly shook her head. " No no…I'm fine Dobby. Thank you. I just was hoping that someone has heard something from Harry." Her eyes welled with a mixture of guilty tears and worry.

Dobby grinned, "Oh Dobby knows Harry Potter is well. He is a noble wizard." He clasped his hands together.

Ginny nodded, wiped a few fallen tears from the corner of her eyes, and grabbed for the pillow on her bed. "If you hear anything Dobby I want to know. That's all I ask for, all right?"

"Always eager to help a friend of Harry Potters." He bowed so low that his pointed nose touched the stone floor of the common room. Just like that Dobby was gone.

Ginny clutched the pillow against her chest for dear life. The tug of war inside her heart exploded, and she buried her face into the scarlet and gold pillow. She couldn't allow this to ruin her plans. No, she needed to look past Malfoy and focus on the bigger things going on in the wizarding world. Wiping her eyes Ginny pushed from her bed and flipped open the trunk at the foot. Gathering some parchment and quills she set out to drive the images of Malfoy and Harry from her mind. She was going to plan the attack immediately. She was going to go after the sword tonight. And she was going to drive the nonsense of Malfoy from her mind once and for all.

* * *

Lyrics in this chapter: Trouble Sleeping by Corrine Bailey Rae

Sorry its been a a few weeks. Went back to work last week and it's been crazy getting things in order again. Anyways, hope you liked the chapter. Please leave me some love in a little review. It always makes my day :)

Cheers!


	10. See Part 1

_It's been awhile but Im still here. Lost my net for awhile thanks to Hurricane Sandy. Here's the next chapter :) _

* * *

_Xx Where will I meet my fate?_

_Baby I'm a man, I was born to hate_

_And when will I meet my end?_

_In a better time you could be my friend_

_I wake up, it's a bad dream_

_No one on my side_

_I was fighting_

_But I just feel too tired_

_To be fighting_

_Guess I'm not the fighting kind_

_Wouldn't mind it_

_If you were by my side_

_But you're long gone_

_Yeah you're long gone now xX_

**PART I - See Me**

**Chapter 10**

Draco stood motionless in the spot behind the branches. Between the green enveloping undergrowth he could see glimpses of her read hair retreating. He didn't run after her. Instead he remained hidden behind the protection of the branches. She didn't have to tell him anything for him to notice that she had refrained from saying something huge. The blush in her face reflected off the dull thickness of the trees. Involuntarily he thrust his feet forward and felt the crunch of a few branches. Instantly he was jolted from his coma, and began pacing around the sanctuary of trees. He had felt a sudden rush of violation when Ginny had first entered his hiding place. It was the only spot he had claimed as his own ever since his beginning days at Hogwarts. Now that she was gone he suddenly wished she was back again. With her presences she brought the dull trees to life, and filled the thick stale air with a flowery aroma. Normally he enjoyed the solitude he found behind the veil of hanging willow branches, but his palate had changed.

A rustle of leaves behind him forced a smirk to his face. He rooted himself to the spot, his arms folding across his chest. So she had returned? There was a swelling sensation in his chest, and glanced down at the rocks in front of him. Every crack seemed to curve at just the right angle creating her face in a series of concave designs. He forced himself not to speak first. He didn't just want to get under her skin, but he wanted her to know what it felt like to be left in the dark.

Her presence was felt just against his back, and the familiar smirk tugged at his lips again. A hand grazed the back of his shoulders, and with a breath he turned to face her.

A heavy fist collided with his face.

The impact was so quick and sudden that it sent him tumbling back into the heavy trunk of a tree. His eyes had slammed shut, but he could tell the fist belonged to someone smaller than he. Through the pain and rage he blubbered out a series of curses. Then the fist came at him again and hit him square in the jaw. He grunted, doubled over, and clutched at his face with another strong of curses. The feeling of another flying fist came at his face again, but this time he was ready for it. As the fist came flying at his face Draco hand moved with snitch grabbing speed, and wrapped around the wrist of the perpetrator.

"Why…" He swallowed, his eyes not moving from the dirt covered ground, " are you hitting me, Pansy?"

There was a stifled yelp, and Draco finally moved his gaze up to meet Pansy's. Her face was contorted maliciously as he held on to her, and the more she tugged to free herself, the tighter he held on to her.

"You bloody know why." She hissed, her arm jetting back again to pull away from him.

Draco closed his eyes, a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Had she seen Ginny leave the spot? Had she spoken to Blaise earlier? Draco spit the crimson wad on the ground, his eyes never once leaving hers. He should have just left her standing there. Everything would have been easier to deal with if he refrained from explaining anything. The only trouble with that was the horror of Pansy sending word to his father. If anyone suddenly began to grow suspicious of him now he was as good as dead. It was already hard enough evading the mind of the Dark Lord.

But Pansy was no Dark Lord, and throwing her off the scent of anything was like stealing cauldron cakes from an infant.

"Actually…" he drawled, his hand lowered finally, "I have no idea why you decided to storm in here pummeling away at me like I was a personalized punching bag. Which is why you should explain yourself Pansy before I get very mad."

Pansy shifted uncomfortably, but stood her ground. Behind her dark brown eyes, Draco noticed the flicker of fury, but doubted she'd release any more on him. If she did, well that would be something he'd have to deal with spur of the moment. Though the idea of hexing Pansy only brought him right back to his father again.

Pansy turned from him, her legs moving across to the hollow log that was sitting in the center of the little sanctuary. She climbed it, folded her arms, and turned towards him again. " I saw her leaving this place." She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "I didn't believe Blaise this morning, but now how can't I?"

Draco smirked. Sometimes he loved the way Pansy attempted to look frightening. As she stood there on the log he stifled a short chuckle, though the sudden mention of Ginny made his eyes narrow. So she had seen her leaving? Draco stuffed his hands in his pocket, his fingers wrapping tightly around the base of his wand. The hard pressure of the wood in his hand made him bite back a sudden growl.

"You don't understand anything you are talking about Pansy." His teeth barely separated as he spoke, and a funny hissing noise erupted. "You are going to listen to me…and you are going to listen good…."

"No! You are going to listen, Draco." She jumped from the log and advanced on him. "I do not know what little games you may be playing, but it will stop now. I'm not so easily to forgive, but certain circumstances can sway a girl." The fire in her eyes illuminated, and Draco suddenly felt the tip of Pansy's wand in his own chest. "I will pretend that none of this has happened, Draco. I will close my eyes and pretend that you were not with that Bloodtraitor, and that you did not attack Blaise this morning. I will lie to your father if need be…and I will lie to the Dark Lord, but you must promise me that you will stop this little game you are playing with her." Her wand lowered slightly, "You are to be wed to me, and I will not have you spoiled by some muggle loving red head."

Draco, who never realized how much taller he was then Pansy, leered down at her. "And if I don't comply, Pansy? You wouldn't dare say anything for fear of ruining a bloody merger between two families. I could care less about marrying you, but I know that's all you think about these days…"

Pansy's lower lip quivered slightly, "What has happened to you, Draco?" her wand was in his chest again. "You used to tell me that we would be happy together, and now I find you gallivanting with her." The thought of Ginny seemed to burn something inside of the brunette Slytherin, and suddenly Pansy was at him again. Her hand collided with the side of his head so hard that it sent him tumbling to the ground.

His head spun as he clutched at the dark brown earth. His wand had managed to stumble out of his pocket and mix together with the various twigs on the ground. A sudden jerk in his side told him that Pansy was now kicking him, and he writhed in pain.

"You think this is going to change my mind, Parkinson?" He grunted as she administered a final blow.

"No…but I think a few little scratches on that Bloodtraitor may do the trick."

Draco swallowed the blood in his mouth. Pansy attacking Ginny wasn't a fair fight. Not when Draco knew that Pansy's idea of a fair fight was five on one. He pushed his hands into the dirt and looked up at her. At the sight of her face he noticed a concerned glimmer in her eye, but she shook it away. Draco gasped, his hand moving up to move his matted blonde hair from his forehead.

"Do what you want…I don't care about the slag. She's just a bit of fun, is all."

Pansy leaned haphazardly on one of the tree trunks. " Somehow I don't believe you."

He coughed, his hand groping at the dirt. "What do you want then? A bloody signed confession?" His fingernails dug deeper into the dirt until he was able to get a firm handle on himself. He was on his feet again, his eyes studying the deranged woman in front of him. From this angle Pansy suddenly reminded him very much like his Aunt Bellatrix.

"I told you what I want, Draco." The soothing tone of her voice caused him to cringe. "I want you to promise me that we will marry. Together we will be at the right hand of the Dark Lord, and we will rid this blast place of insignificant little twits like that Weasley girl."

He kept his facial movements in check. Pansy's games were old, and he knew that she was waiting for some sort of reaction. When he refrained from making any telling signs, she turned away and began pacing the small enclosed area.

There wasn't much of a choice. "Fine." His voice cracked slightly. "We will marry then, but only…"

"Oh Draco I knew you'd come around!" She was on him again, but this time she covered his face with her lips, his eyes slamming shut to keep her image as distant as possible.

"Only after the end of term, Pansy. Only after we finish with this place will I marry you." The words sounded so foreign on his tongue that he choked back the urge to vomit.

"That's ridiculous. We should be married straight away!" She kissed him again almost too desperately. "I will inform my father and yours…we will set it for the holiday break and then be rid of Hogwarts for the rest of our lives." She was frantically pressing herself against him as though he was bound to disappear at any moment.

Draco shoved his hands between them, pushing her back slightly. "We will wait until the end of the year. I plan on finishing my education."

Pansy's eyes narrowed. "Why? You never were keen on finishing it before. Why the sudden change in mind?" She was approaching him again, her hands grabbing the sides of his arms. "The sooner we are married, the sooner we can help the Dark Lord."

Draco scoffed. "Do you think the Dark Lord cares about weddings and pathetic attempts at love? No…" he stepped away from her again, this time his eyes finding the curve of the rocks that so resembled Ginny's face. "The Dark Lord would much rather be rid of bloody Saint Potter before allowing his servants to do something for themselves."

She slapped him hard again, this time connecting with his temple throwing him off guard. "Why are you making excuses, Draco?"

"Because unlike you, Pansy, I value my life, and understand how the Dark Lord works. If you are willing to throw yourself into the pit of death then so be it, but I will kill you first before you place my name beside your selfish needs."

There was a huff emitted from the back of her throat, and Draco pressed his eyes shut again.

"We will wait until the end of the year then." It wasn't a question, but a rather unenthusiastic statement. Draco smirked to himself, but again her fist connected with his body. "But we will be married, Draco. So don't do anything stupid."

She leaned forward and kissed him, her lips lingering far too long on his own. Malfoy gagged, but refrained from spitting on the ground. "As you wish, Parkinson."

"It's not as I wish, Draco. It is as I demand…and if I so happen to see that little red headed bitch within ten feet from your existence I will murder her on the spot. My father has given me the permission to exert my right as a loyal Pureblood, and I plan on executing it."

"You sound like Zabini."

"Well he seems to be the only one as of lately who makes any sense around here." She spun on her heel, her short dark hair trailing in a wave. " I don't know what has gotten into Draco, but you will start behaving the correct way again, or I will be forced to make you behave the correct way. Don't make me do it…I don't fancy hurting the man I love."

The kiss she planted on his lips was like sudden poison, and Draco flinched.

The tree branches parted, and Pansy vanished into the afternoon sun. Draco stood there among the security of his space for what seemed like hours. It could have been mere seconds, but the blow to his body sent him stumbling back into one of the larger trees. His heart thudded heavily against his ribcage. Draco Malfoy had never been scared of many things. His father frightened him often, but he was also a very powerful and intimidating man. The Dark Lord frightened him because whatever his father was, The Dark Lord was a thousand times worse. Yet despite it all he had come to finally believe that he would be able to break free from it all. There was the possibility that he would amount to something better than an attempted murder, something better then a Death Eater.

That's what Ginny had made him feel, and he had never felt anything more than pain and suffering his entire life. He had been programmed not to feel, and not to become susceptible to emotion. She had managed to slip through the tough skin he had placed over his bones, and she had changed that. Ginny had given him hope, and once again whatever freedom he felt had been ripped away by someone trying to dominate him.

He spat at the ground again, the image of Pansy floating into the forefront of his mind. He hated her, but couldn't do anything about it. For the first time Pansy had outsmarted him. If he tried to run from her she would tell her father. Her father would attack his father, and the Dark Lord would once again question the loyalties of the Malfoy family. The obvious cowards way out would be to marry her. A few months ago he knew that the easiest and safest choice was his favorite bet, but now…

Now he couldn't close his eyes without seeing hers staring back at him. He couldn't go to sleep without imagining her touch upon his hand, or the sweet flowery smell that seemed to drift from her hair to his nostrils. He hated her for making him feel so weak, but at the same time so bloody strong. He hated her for a million things, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting to be around her.

And just like that it hit him like a heavy sack upon his chest.

He had feelings for the Weaselette. Draco Malfoy had actual feelings for someone other then himself, and he couldn't do a single thing about it. If Pansy realized what was going on she'd do her best to get rid of Ginny permanently.

His hand slipped across his forehead, the dried bloody from Pansy's punches caking onto his fingers.

He would have to stay away from her. It would be the only way to keep him from doing anything stupid, and the only way to keep her safe from Pansy. His gut wretched slightly, and he grabbed onto the trunk of the tree to keep him balanced. For all the galleons in the world he would have gladly traded them in to get rid of the sudden aching in his chest. How could he stay away from her when his veins yearned to pump the fevered rush of blood she created within him? There was no choice in the matter. For the first time in many years the thing that Draco wanted most was something his father could not buy him.

Ginny sat huddled in the corner of the Gryffindor common room. Her favorite red chair had been occupied by one of the third years, but she preferred the private spot for her plotting. She had been cooped up in the corner for nearly six hours devising the perfect plan of attack. Even when Neville had asked her to join him for dinner she had simply refused, but was rather glad when he brought back a sandwich and a slice of peppermint pie. But that food seemed to be in her hands hours ago as she sat curled up in the corner. Her eyes casually moved from her parchment to the window as though she was waiting for Harry to appear right there on the grounds. He was the driving force behind her mission. If Bellatrix LeStrange wanted that sword there had to be something behind it that the Voldemort wanted. It was the only thing that made sense, and if Voldemort wanted it then Ginny knew she had to get it for Harry. If she couldn't help him while he was out there in the thick of it then she could certainly try to help him in Hogwarts.

A great black eagle owl swooped by the common room window, and Ginny broke away from her vacant staring. She knew that owl. Malfoy had often boasted about his expensive owl while in the Great Hall. Ginny watched as it lazily glided through the air, hovering just outside the window as though it was purposely watching her. Was he watching her? Had Malfoy sent his owl to spy on her in the Gryffindor common room. She frowned, and turned her back on the creature as it pecked against the glass to get her attention. She didn't move to open the window. Instead she folded her arms across her chest and continued to wait.

"Oh, look at that owl." Lavender Brown pointed past Ginny and out the window. "It's beautiful." She turned to Parvati who nodded in agreement.

"Will you open the window Ginny to let it in?" Parvati shifted in her seat, "I think it wants to deliver a letter."

Ginny bit down hard on her lower lip and shook her head. "It doesn't have a letter…I checked."

"Well why is it sitting there at the window?" Lavender twisted slightly to get a better look at the bird.

"Isn't that Draco Malfoy's owl?" Parvati had risen from her seat on the couch and began moving towards Ginny and the owl.

Ginny froze. If there was a letter from Malfoy and it was addressed to her what would the others think? Would Lavender or Parvati accuse her of fraternizing with a Slytherin? Would they tell Harry about it if they were to run into each other? Ginny panicked and frantically banged her fist against the window before Lavender had a chance to open it.

"It was Draco Malfoy's owl…Merlin that boy has handsome things." Lavender's eyes flickered towards Ginny, "Why did you chase it away?" There was an all too questionable look in her features.

Ginny scowled, "I don't want Malfoy's bloody owl at our common room window. If you haven't forgotten he is a Slytherin, and not exactly on the favorite list of Harry's."

Her stomach lurched as she combined their names in the same statement. For something that had once been so easy she could no longer think of Malfoy as the same foul git he had once been. Parvati's face had gone a bit crimson, and Lavender lowered her head.

"Sorry Gin." Lavender tugged gently on the sleeve of her robe which revealed a long cut that ran from her forearm to the end of her index finger. The Carrow's had punished her for reading The Quibbler in the corridor.

Ginny sighed as her gaze moved from the cut and back up to Lavender's face. "It's all right."

"We should head up to bed now anyway." Parvati, who had closed the distance between them, leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Good luck tonight, Ginny. Give Neville and the others our best too." She pushed out her most convincing grin and grabbed Lavender by the wrist.

"Thanks." Ginny smiled, her body falling back into the soft material of the armchair. She waved slightly as they disappeared up the stairs and out of sight.

When she was certain they had gone she twisted herself in the armchair and pressed her forehead against the window. In the pit of her stomach she had hoped that Draco's owl was still hovering there. The blackness of the night seemed to engulf her vision, and the disappointment of the creature not being there sent a shiver down her spine. What had he wanted to tell her? She hadn't seen him since earlier that morning, and that exchange had been a mixture between anger and what Ginny would have dubbed as concern. The foe stone he had given her was pressed into her hip, and she reached down to rub the pocket that it sat in.

"I'm not going to think of him." She pressed her eyes shut, "I'm not going to think of him." Though it was seemingly impossible as the stone stabbed at her, and the presence of the eagle owl hovered in her head.

A chair squeaked across the common room, and her eyes snapped open again. The small clock above the fireplace had chimed midnight fifteen minutes after Parvati and Lavender left, and Ginny had waited patiently for rest of the common room to clear out before she contacted Neville. It had been such a last minute decision that when she finally figured out the plans she had decided that smaller numbers would work better then a large group. Neville, Luna and Seamus Finnigan promised to be ready for her when the time was right. Sure enough, the third year who had been sitting her favorite chair was gathering his books and heading towards the dormitories. All thoughts of Malfoy suddenly seemed insignificant.

Holding her breath, she waited patiently to hear the click of the door before reaching under her own chair and pulling out a small bag. The galleon that Hermione had given them during the reign of Umbridge was nestled in the smallest pocket, and Ginny pulled it out and placed it in the palm of her hand. She tapped it twice, mumbled the code, and then quickly began shoving the galleon, and four invisibility cloaks that Fred and George had given her into the bag.

She drew the strings closed just as two sets of footsteps began coming down the boys staircase.

"That you, Neville?" She whispered, hoping beyond all things magic that it was.

"Yes, and Seamus." They appeared in the frame of the doorway, both boys dressed in black.

Ginny chuckled. "I told you I had cloaks…you didn't need to get all stealthy for me."

"Oh ha ha ha, Ginny. " Seamus stepped into the common room away from Neville. "I'm glad your humor is still intact…we're only going up into Snape's office to steal a priceless founder heirloom for your precious boyfriend. That's not at all frightening." He quipped, the sweat on his forehead glistening in the moonlight.

Ginny stepped forward to retort, but Neville placed himself between them.

"We are not doing this because Harry should have that sword, but because the Death Eaters want it. Ginny has made this very clear, Seamus, and I think we ought to start trusting her. "

Ginny let out a very deep breath, "Thank you, Neville." She shot Seamus a look, but restrained herself from snapping back at him.

Neville smiled nervously, but removed his wand and held it with unusual firmness. "We should hurry if we want to get to Luna before she leaves the Ravenclaw common room."

"We should…" Ginny opened her bag again and removed three of the cloaks. "My brothers sent these to me a few weeks ago. They've been whipping up invisibility items for the Ministry, but had to get rid of a bunch of them since the Ministry was infiltrated. They didn't want the Death Eaters to get hold of any so they sent me a few…" She handed one to Seamus and one to Neville. "With these on we should be able to get to Luna and then make it to Snape's office without being detected."

Neville turned the cloak over in his hands. "These really do work, right?" He looked down at the cloak a little apprehensively. " Remember those products Fred and George made while they were here…they weren't all flawless."

"Right… I don't want to end up invisible forever or something. My mum would throw a fit. " Seamus held his out in front of him.

"You wont end up invisible forever." The frustration in her voice was beginning to become evident. "Now put them on…Neville was right…we need to get to Luna now."

Silently the three of them wrapped the cloaks around their bodies. Ginny was first to turn in place and see the empty space where the two boys had just been standing. It was going to be difficult to remain together while they couldn't see each other, but she hoped that it would get them as far as the office.

"You there, Gin?" Nevilles voice came from behind her.

"Yes…" She hissed. " I'm going to leave my left pinky finger out of the arm hole… Neville you stay behind me and do the same for Seamus, all right?"

"What will we do with the sword once we get it, Ginny?" Seamus' voice rose from behind the invisible Neville.

"The room of requirement." She began moving towards the door, " Once we get it in there we can work out a way to get it out of Hogwarts and to Harry." She reached the portrait hole and took another much needed deep breath. "You both ready then?" Her right hand clutched her wand and her bag. A unified 'yes' came from both of them, and Ginny pressed forward and out the portrait hole.

"Someone there?" The Fat Lady, groggy from being woken, looked down at the empty spot where the invisible three stood.

Ginny didn't dare move. The Carrows had given most of the portrait's ultimatums when they had arrived at Hogwarts. If any student was to sneak out of their common room after curfew they were to report them at once. Not wanting to be on the end of the Carrow's punishment stick, Ginny wiggled her finger slightly and then slowly moved away from the portrait hole and around to the next corridor.

"That was close." Seamus whispered from somewhere behind her, but all Ginny did was issue a soft hissing noise telling him to shut up.

Somewhere in her head she had planned it all out to be perfect. They'd make it up to Ravenclaw without running in to any Professors, and they'd be able to get the sword out of the office and still have time to get in a short nap before breakfast the following morning. Once they reached the six floor landing that had changed. Filch was busy skulking around the corridors with Mrs. Norris. Ginny came to an abrupt halt when Mrs. Norris turned towards her, but Neville had failed to watch her motionless figure. There was a loud 'oomph', and Ginny felt the weight of Neville and Seamus hit into her from behind. Filch's eyes darted wildly up towards the staircase they were standing on, and Ginny held her breath as the shabby cat began moving towards them.

"What do you see my pet?" Filch quirked an eyebrow and also began moving up the staircase towards the three of them.

Ginny backed herself up against the stone wall. How many times she had traveled through the secret passageways, and for the first time tonight, of all important nights, she had decided not to use them. Her back stiffened as Mrs. Norris slipped by her, and she wondered briefly if Neville and Seamus had moved out of the way as well. Filch was six steps below them.

"Has someone decided to take a midnight walk?" Filch's voice cracked.

She held her breath. If she didn't breathe Filch wouldn't hear her. She only hoped the other two had enough sense to do the same thing. Filch paused directly in front of them, and for a brief second she thought she saw his eyes move down towards Neville's feet. Had he seen something suspicious? Mrs. Norris was already up on the landing when Filch took another step towards them. Ginny could smell his sweaty musty breath on her f ace, and her heart dropped right through her stomach and into her feet. A funny thought escaped her brain as she stood there. Draco should have come careening through the tapestry on the lower floor to save her. Just like he had done a dozen times this year Ginny slowly turned her eyes towards the tapestry half expecting it to happen. Draco wasn't there. He had told her that he wasn't going to help her anymore, and apparently he had been telling the truth. Her stomach lurched. She had grown so accustomed to his presence that the thought of him not being there killed her.

There was a scuffle in front of her, and Ginny turned her attention back towards Filch. He was studying the blank area that they were standing in. Ginny was pressed so tightly against the wall that she was surprised she hadn't busted through it. Behind her was an old portrait of an explorer in the pyramids, and when Filch asked him what he could see the old explorer told him to bugger off.

Neville drew in a sharp gasp as Filch stepped forward again, and this time Ginny was certain the old squib had heard them.

"Someone's playing hide and seek, are they?" His bony hand reached out towards Ginny.

Desperately she tried pushing herself in the wall even further, but she was already so close to the stone that it pressed harshly into the small of her back. She closed her eyes as his hand inched towards her, knowing very well of the repercussions she would have to endure. She could already see the Carrows smug little faces as she walked into detention with them. She cringed, and squeaked slightly as his hand came to brush just agsint the front of the cloak.

"I'm here!" Seamus stepped out from beneath his cloak.

Ginny felt her heart beat jet to a rapid pace. In one respect she was so thankful that Seamus had stepped forward so they could continue the mission, but in the pit of her chest she felt ultimately guilty.

"Well…well…" Filch stepped to the side and grabbed the invisibility cloak. His eyes bore directly into Seamus' and Ginny couldn't help but feel an even bigger pit in her stomach.

"Well well I'm here…you caught me….fancy timing on you." Seamus licked his lower lip, his eyes flickering towards Ginny momentarily.

Ginny felt Filch's eyes turn towards her, but miraculously enough he moved by her and Neville and confronted Seamus.

"I suppose the Carrows would like to know exactly what you were doing." The yellow in his teeth seemed to glow unnaturally, and Ginny sucked in another breath. Filch tensed. " You are not alone, boy." It wasn't a question, but rather a disturbing statement that forced chills up Ginny's spine.

Seamus shook his head. " No….I just rather seemed to enjoy gallivanting on the premises." He stifled a laugh, and Ginny mentally thanked him as Filch stepped away from her.

"I still think you are alone, boy." And with an uptight glare he reached out towards the spot where Neville was standing.

The cloak merely slipped on Neville's forehead and Filch furrowed his brow. Seamus didn't wait, he immediately shot up the stairs towards the South Tower.

Filch blurted out something obscene, and without bothering to glance back at where Neville and Ginny stood, he made after Seamus.

Ginny waited until she caught her breath before she said anything. Somewhere beside her Neville coughed, and she turned towards him. Merlin she felt horrible for Seamus. If Filch caught him there was sure to be severe repercussions. Yet he had sacrificed himself so they could continue on with the plan. It was very noble of him…very Harry like. Ginny smiled, but was shaken back into reality when Neville reached out to grab her arm.

"We should have been more careful." Neville finally spoke, but avoided Ginny's eyes.

"He'll be fine." She shot a look towards the staircase Seamus had disappeared on, and sighed. "I know he'll be fine." She hoped he'd be fine.

Ginny frowned, but moved towards the next corridor to lead them towards Ravenclaw's tower. Neville refrained from saying another word in fear that he may jeopardize their situation, but Ginny knew that Neville felt guilty about Seamus. When they passed by the statue of Ebineer the Elegant, Ginny pointed towards the wooden door that was adjacent to them.

"That's it." She whispered, and tentatively took a step forward.

"They have a door?" Neville hissed in her ear, and Ginny merely nodded her head.

"Luna told me just to knock and she'd come out."

A shuffling noise from behind them caused Ginny's body to stiffen. Had Filch followed them up through the castle? Slowly she turned her head towards the end of the corridor. The darkness that seemed to encase the distant walls made it nearly impossible to see.

"Can you see anything?" she asked Neville who had sucked in a deep breath behind her.

"No."

"There you are." Luna's voice caused them both to shriek.

"Merlin Luna!" Ginny pulled down the hood of her cloak, " how did you even know it was us?" Immediately she began to fumble through her bag.

"Well I heard movement outside the door, and I was quite certain that was Neville's voice just a moment ago." She reached out and took the invisibility cloak from Ginny.

"Yes well…." Ginny cast another glance down the corridor half expecting Filch to be standing there. " we heard something and thought Filch had followed us."

"Where's Seamus?" Luna tugged the cloak around her.

Neville, finally satisfied that nothing was down the corridor, turned to Luna. "Made a dash for it in order to keep Filch from finding us." He shook his head. " I should have gone with him."

Ginny slung her bag back over her shoulder. " And what would that have done? Hm? I need you here to help me Neville. We need to do this together, and besides….we are stronger in numbers."

"She's right." Luna smirked. "Now should we head to Professor Snape's office first, or should we see if the Room of Requirement is clear for entry?"

Ginny took a deep breath. This was it. She was going to finally pull of something that would allow them to help Harry. Her heart sang slightly though was tugged back into her chest almost immediately. Draco's face swam to the forefront of her brain.

"Gin?" Neville tugged on her arm.

Ginny shook her head and pointed towards the staircase that would take them to the Headmasters office. "We go get the sword first…the faster we have it in our hands ….well the faster we can get back to our common rooms and out of these corridors."

Both of them nodded, and they pulled their cloaks up over them completely.

"Right then…" Ginny whispered, " Follow me."

The three of them moved quickly behind Ginny and up towards the second staircase on the left.

Draco waited until they were completely gone before stepping out from behind one of the suits of armor. He knew he should have turned around and gone back to his common room. He had only gone down to the kitchens to grab some food. This was not in his job description any more. Pansy made certain of that. He had promised himself that he would stay away from her, that his distance would keep her safe from Pansy and the other bloody morons in his house. Yet the nagging feeling in his stomach forced him to do otherwise. He glanced quickly over his shoulder and move forward and follow her.

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Please review and tell me your thoughts! Love them all!

Lyrics in this chapter **A Bad Dream **by **Keane**


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